Author

Topic: US lawyers float Facebook Credits antitrust suit (Read 3815 times)

jr. member
Activity: 60
Merit: 2
Even very hardcore libertarians will admit the need to break up monopolies.

Not me. Freedom > Justice.

+1

I'm as hardcore an-cap subscriber as you can get and I'm perfectly fine with monopolies that are established by providing a voluntary service or goods.

The issue comes when the monopolies arise due to market distortions from government-granted privileges.

Food for thought - where would microsoft be without patent and copyright law? And is it truly voluntary when they pull tricks such as telling hardware vendors that customers buying "naked" computers (those without an OS) are criminals?


As for facebook though, in no way is it a monopoly or a threat to anyone's privacy - if you don't want your personal info there then don't provide it, this seems so simple it's stupid.

That.

Cases like the browser lawsuits against MS made me want to puke - even though I wasn't a MS fanboy.
I'm not a big fan of Facebook either (though I'm a user) but seriously: If you don't like the way they play NOONE is forcing you to play with them. Anyone wanting to force FB to do business with developers who don't want to use FB credits is a looter in my book.
hero member
Activity: 770
Merit: 502
Godbless America and all it's glorious lawsuits and frivolous bullshit.

Don't forget patent lawsuits that are sky high that company's are pulling against other company's. apple, ms, samsung etc.
full member
Activity: 182
Merit: 100
Godbless America and all it's glorious lawsuits and frivolous bullshit.
hero member
Activity: 770
Merit: 502
US attorneys are trying to drum up interest in a potential case against Facebook, claiming its Credits virtual currency is breaking US antitrust law.

Oh, someone is scared and crapping their pants. Hmm, keep running your government like so, just keep doing it.
hero member
Activity: 686
Merit: 500
Wat
Even very hardcore libertarians will admit the need to break up monopolies.

Not me. Freedom > Justice.

+1

I'm as hardcore an-cap subscriber as you can get and I'm perfectly fine with monopolies that are established by providing a voluntary service or goods.

You can never serve your customers TOO WELL!
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 501
There is more to Bitcoin than bitcoins.
http://finextra.com/News/Fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=23823

"Facebook is to abandon its Credits virtual currency platform in favour of a system which allows developers to be paid in a local currency of their choosing."
Has anyone chosen btc as a "local currency of their choosing" yet?
legendary
Activity: 1078
Merit: 1003
You don't need to tell me that, I already knew it and I completely agree with you. I thought my post would have reflected that Tongue
hero member
Activity: 721
Merit: 503
Even very hardcore libertarians will admit the need to break up monopolies.

Not me. Freedom > Justice.

+1

I'm as hardcore an-cap subscriber as you can get and I'm perfectly fine with monopolies that are established by providing a voluntary service or goods.

The issue comes when the monopolies arise due to market distortions from government-granted privileges.

Food for thought - where would microsoft be without patent and copyright law? And is it truly voluntary when they pull tricks such as telling hardware vendors that customers buying "naked" computers (those without an OS) are criminals?


As for facebook though, in no way is it a monopoly or a threat to anyone's privacy - if you don't want your personal info there then don't provide it, this seems so simple it's stupid.
donator
Activity: 1736
Merit: 1014
Let's talk governance, lipstick, and pigs.
Even very hardcore libertarians will admit the need to break up monopolies.

Not me. Freedom > Justice.
Monopolies give us the best Justice money can buy.
legendary
Activity: 1078
Merit: 1003
Even very hardcore libertarians will admit the need to break up monopolies.

Not me. Freedom > Justice.

+1

I'm as hardcore an-cap subscriber as you can get and I'm perfectly fine with monopolies that are established by providing a voluntary service or goods.
hero member
Activity: 931
Merit: 500
Even very hardcore libertarians will admit the need to break up monopolies.

Not me. Freedom > Justice.
staff
Activity: 4270
Merit: 1209
I support freedom of choice
http://finextra.com/News/Fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=23823

"Facebook is to abandon its Credits virtual currency platform in favour of a system which allows developers to be paid in a local currency of their choosing."
sr. member
Activity: 332
Merit: 250
Antitrust law is so absurd. Nobody is forced to use Windows, not the users nor the developers. Anyone who complains about Windows on the basis of "monopoly" is a sniveling whiny bitch imo Smiley

Microsoft should do whatever the heck they want with their own software. And the same freedom that protects their right to do so is the same freedom which protects our right to do whatever we want with Bitcoin.
+1. Those suits against MS were utterly retarded. If I want to install Chrome, FF, Safari, or whatever else, I'm quite capable of doing so.

(... Tongue)

Anyhoo, good luck Facebook. (rather, I hope they win in court... not fond of Facebook.)

Because part of the settlement against Microsoft is that they allow other browsers to be compatible with Windows.

And antitrust is one of the very few things people actually need government for, to maintain a free market.  Even very hardcore libertarians will admit the need to break up monopolies.  I'm a bit surprised that you seem unaware of this, ev.
member
Activity: 84
Merit: 10
Facebook must die, it is one of the greatest threats to personal privacy and freedom worldwide today.

Warriors against Facebook, know that this is jihad, take no prisoners. Destroying the enemy is an act of mercy, so be merciful.
full member
Activity: 140
Merit: 100
Antitrust law is so absurd. Nobody is forced to use Facebook, not the users nor the developers. Anyone who complains about Facebook Credits on the basis of "monopoly" is a sniveling whiny bitch imo Smiley

Facebook should do whatever the heck they want with their own money. And the same freedom that protects their right to do so is the same freedom which protects our right to do whatever we want with Bitcoin.

I cannot agree that antitrust laws are absurd. The problem with FB "monopoly" is that they force people, who use one service, to use partcular brand of another service. If you have large market share in on service, you use it to lock your users to your brand in another service. Well competition goes out thrugh the window.

Who has more rights to do with their money as they please: FB or FB users?
sr. member
Activity: 250
Merit: 250
Facebook has obtained MSB licenses or something like that in several states.  So I think your conclusion is not based on correct facts / observations and or may be incorrect.
Please do some more research before making such conclusions.
That's what the forum is all about. Discussing, exchanging opinions and correcting each other.  If we were able to check all possible implications of our thoughts, then we would not need to discuss anything. Please note that I don't live in the States or anywhere near...

Sorry, my response was not very nice.  Please see here for a discussion on the licenses Facebook has been gobbling up in the States.

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/facebook-has-msb-license-in-at-least-15-states-google-also-64326

You'll want to be clear which country you're talking about when discussing legality.  I guess I assumed this was in regards to the US because it was in a topic labelled "US lawyers..."

I'm not lawyer, but I'm trying to reach out to a recently barred old college buddy to see if he's interested in helping me research bitcoin legal issues.

ciao

Thank you for the link! You were right though, there were things that I wasn't aware of (like the need for this MSB license), thus I made wrong assumptions Sad Btw, I live in Greece, and I'm curious to find out if such a license is needed in my country as well....
legendary
Activity: 2114
Merit: 1031
Facebook has obtained MSB licenses or something like that in several states.  So I think your conclusion is not based on correct facts / observations and or may be incorrect.
Please do some more research before making such conclusions.
That's what the forum is all about. Discussing, exchanging opinions and correcting each other.  If we were able to check all possible implications of our thoughts, then we would not need to discuss anything. Please note that I don't live in the States or anywhere near...

Sorry, my response was not very nice.  Please see here for a discussion on the licenses Facebook has been gobbling up in the States.

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/facebook-has-msb-license-in-at-least-15-states-google-also-64326

You'll want to be clear which country you're talking about when discussing legality.  I guess I assumed this was in regards to the US because it was in a topic labelled "US lawyers..."

I'm not lawyer, but I'm trying to reach out to a recently barred old college buddy to see if he's interested in helping me research bitcoin legal issues.

ciao
legendary
Activity: 980
Merit: 1003
I'm not just any shaman, I'm a Sha256man
I was developing a 2d shooter mmo game for facebook that would use bitcoin but I stopped developing it due to the fact that "facebook credits only" policy was announced..
sr. member
Activity: 250
Merit: 250
Facebook has obtained MSB licenses or something like that in several states.  So I think your conclusion is not based on correct facts / observations and or may be incorrect.
Please do some more research before making such conclusions.
That's what the forum is all about. Discussing, exchanging opinions and correcting each other.  If we were able to check all possible implications of our thoughts, then we would not need to discuss anything. Please note that I don't live in the States or anywhere near...
legendary
Activity: 2114
Merit: 1031
What I see positive about this, is that since FB has its own "currency" and the State(s) don't have any issues with that, then it would be tough to "forbid" the use of Bitcoin in the future. Or at least without doing the same to other virtual currencies....

Facebook has obtained MSB licenses or something like that in several states.  So I think your conclusion is not based on correct facts / observations and or may be incorrect.

Please do some more research before making such conclusions.
sr. member
Activity: 250
Merit: 250
What I see positive about this, is that since FB has its own "currency" and the State(s) don't have any issues with that, then it would be tough to "forbid" the use of Bitcoin in the future. Or at least without doing the same to other virtual currencies....
sr. member
Activity: 574
Merit: 250
I'm quite capable of doing so.

The other folks aren't that advanced :-)


Perhaps there should be a law that all literature must be written using only 2nd grade English, so that it's accessible to everyone.

Or just drown all stupid people. Imagine a world where the lowest common denominator is constantly rising!
legendary
Activity: 1008
Merit: 1023
Democracy is the original 51% attack
I'm quite capable of doing so.

The other folks aren't that advanced :-)


Perhaps there should be a law that all literature must be written using only 2nd grade English, so that it's accessible to everyone.
hero member
Activity: 574
Merit: 500
I'm quite capable of doing so.

The other folks aren't that advanced :-)
sr. member
Activity: 574
Merit: 250
This is nothing more than a creative approach from a firm of blood-sucking leeches trying to create an issue so they can screw a settlement out of FB (which I detest by the way.) The endgame for this frivolous lawsuit will be a nice fat settlement for the firm based on pumped up fees, a few coins for the token class representative for the syuit, who we will eventually learn is related to the law firm suing, and nothing but a lot more hot air.
donator
Activity: 1218
Merit: 1015
Antitrust law is so absurd. Nobody is forced to use Windows, not the users nor the developers. Anyone who complains about Windows on the basis of "monopoly" is a sniveling whiny bitch imo Smiley

Microsoft should do whatever the heck they want with their own software. And the same freedom that protects their right to do so is the same freedom which protects our right to do whatever we want with Bitcoin.
+1. Those suits against MS were utterly retarded. If I want to install Chrome, FF, Safari, or whatever else, I'm quite capable of doing so.

(... Tongue)

Anyhoo, good luck Facebook. (rather, I hope they win in court... not fond of Facebook.)
legendary
Activity: 2058
Merit: 1452
Antitrust law is so absurd. Nobody is forced to use Windows, not the users nor the developers. Anyone who complains about Windows on the basis of "monopoly" is a sniveling whiny bitch imo Smiley

Microsoft should do whatever the heck they want with their own software. And the same freedom that protects their right to do so is the same freedom which protects our right to do whatever we want with Bitcoin.
legendary
Activity: 1008
Merit: 1023
Democracy is the original 51% attack
Antitrust law is so absurd. Nobody is forced to use Facebook, not the users nor the developers. Anyone who complains about Facebook Credits on the basis of "monopoly" is a sniveling whiny bitch imo Smiley

Facebook should do whatever the heck they want with their own money. And the same freedom that protects their right to do so is the same freedom which protects our right to do whatever we want with Bitcoin.
legendary
Activity: 1221
Merit: 1025
e-ducat.fr
Interesting: thanks for bringing this up.
vip
Activity: 5
Merit: 0
I had Lucifer reprogrammed
Any Facebook game developers on here looking to force Facebook to allow Bitcoin?

--

US attorneys are trying to drum up interest in a potential case against Facebook, claiming its Credits virtual currency is breaking US antitrust law.

The firm, Newman DuWors, has thrown up the site Stopfacebookcredits.com to attract game developers and providers of virtual currencies who believe their businesses have been or are being damaged by Facebook Credits.

Newman DuWors hopes to bring either a single or a class-action against Facebook under the US Sherman Act that saw Microsoft prosecuted during the 1990s. Derek Newman with the firm told The Reg on Monday that he hopes somebody who’s been put out of business by Facebook Credits will come forward who he can represent.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/02/27/facebook_stop_facebook_credits/

http://stopfacebookcredits.com/
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