Lanksy-At It Again…Or Reformed?

Perhaps people won’t remember the name Jared Lansky or perhaps they will. They might remember the name OptinTrade.

He is the individual who was charged by the FTC for using banners to install “adware” illegally on comptuers and from my understanding he is all settled up with that. If you don’t recall the situation then here are some more of those pesky legal documents to refresh your memory.

Testimony of Ari Schwartz, Associate DirectorCenter for Democracy and Technology before The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science , and Transportationon”Spyware” May 11, 2005

Quick Summary: Ari drops the smackdown on Seismic in great detail and it is best summed up in this one quote that surfaced from the e-mail trails with this one sent to Jared Lanksy: “I figured out a way to install an exe without any user interaction.This is the time to make the $$$ while we can.”

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION’S MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF MOTION FOR LEAVE TO NAME ADDITIONAL DEFENDANTS AND TO FILE FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT.

Extract From Above

Plaintiff Federal Trade Commission (“FTC or “Commission”), by its undersigned attorneys and pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (“Federal Rules”) 15 and 21,respectfully submits this memorandum in support of its Motion for Leave to Name Additional Defendants and to File First Amended Complaint (“Motion”). The proposed First Amended Complaint names five additional parties as defendants: Jared Lansky, John Robert Martinson,OptinTrade, Inc. (“OptinTrade”), Mailwiper, Inc. (“Mailwiper”), and Spy Deleter, Inc. (“SpyDeleter”).1Mr. Lansky controls OptinTrade; Mr. Martinson controls both Mailwiper and SpyDeleter. The proposed First Amended Complaint also makes conforming and correctingchanges, and adds an allegation of common business enterprise with regard to Mailwiper, Spy….

Quick Summary

In this case Lansky controlled OptinTrade and Martinson controlled Mailwiper Wiper, Inc and Spy Deleter, Inc. The Commission’s initial Complaint alleged that Seismic Entertainment Productions, Inc.(“Seismic”), SmartBot.net, Inc. (“SmartBot”), and Sanford Wallace (collectively, the “WallaceDefendants”) engaged in unfair acts and practices in connection with distributing software,including spyware, and in marketing the “anti-spyware” products Spy Wiper and Spy Deleter.

The Complaint alleges that the Wallace Defendants used Internet pop-up ads on third-party web sites that automatically sent consumers’ Internet browsers to the defendants’ web sites. At these web sites, people had software loaded onto their computerswithout their knowledge or consent because of the malicious use of an exploit in the web browser. It also did the usual rogue behavior like changing home pages, throwing up pop-ups and piggybacking other adware and software programs. Not to mention the usual tragic PC behavior that occurs after this kind of treatment- slowing down cycles, causing systems to crash and generally making life miserable for PC and end-user.

Then the clincher- Sanford Wallace (a.k.a. Spamford) had the cure! He had e-mails sent out hawking Spy Deleter to remedy the problems that were created by the rogue ads that were spewing the spyware in the first place.

A good wrap up can be found with sordid details in this entertaining piece from the FTC..

I am sure it was lucrative business. So why revisit it now, afterall this was in 2005.

It appears Mr. Lansky is “quietly back on the scene” and possibly with a new venture? The adbuysell.com a domain was recently registered after it expired on 11/11/2005 by…you guessed it.

Domain Name………. adbuysell.com
Creation Date…….. 2005-11-23
Registration Date…. 2005-11-23
Expiry Date………. 2007-11-23
Organisation Name…. Jared Lansky
Organisation Address. P O Box 99800
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. EmeryVille
Organisation Address. 94662
Organisation Address. CA
Organisation Address. US

Side note: It used to be under the control of these people:

Registrant:
Nextake Corporation
369 San Miguel Drive
Suite 305
Newport Beach, CA 92660
US

Domain Name: ADBUYSELL.COM

Administrative Contact:
Hegyi, Marco
MindShare Media Corporation
369 San Miguel Drive
Suite 305
Newport Beach, CA 92660
949.717.6464 (FAX) 949.717.6463
Technical Contact:
Go, Christopher
Velocimedia
8 Riptide Court
Newport Beach, CA 92660
US
949.548.7558 949.548.7558

Record last updated on 10-Jan-2000
Record expires on 10-Jan-2002
Record created on 10-Jan-2000

This company had the grand idea to build a new Internet Advertising Marketplace to Combine with Comprehensive Ad Management System for Complete End-to-End Solution.

Apparently it didn’t work out and even the Internet Archive is of little help on why this was a wash, but it didn’t get any traction and appeared to fold up shop. The domain remained dormant- until recently. By the way the folks do not seem in anyway connected to Lansky as the domain simply expired and was bought on the open market.

For now the domain sits with a benign looking header- AdBuySell. I just don’t know what. Perhaps he is just a domain speculator?

But I have to ask has Mr. Lansky reformed? Is their an advertising business being prepped behind this domain?
Has he left his adware past behind or should I be wary of AdBuySell based on his historical track record? The only way to know is to watch or….cordially invite Mr. Lansky here to comment on what happened and what is going on now. Just the simple truth will do- I want to hear his side of the story.

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