Useless, overpriced software. Trivial fines.
Are you quite sure you didn't mix them up with Microsoft?
US consumer watchdogs at the Federal Trade Commission have agreed to settle a lawsuit against rogue security software distributors on reduced terms. James Reno and ByteHosting Internet Services were found responsible for distributing scareware products that used underhanded methods. The scam foisted software of no utility on …
"The defendants - found responsible for tricking more than a million punters into buying rogue products including WinAntivirus, ErrorSafe, and XP Antivirus - were ordered to pay $1.9m last year. ... Reno pleaded poverty, so the FTC has agreed to take $116K to settle the case ... the whole scam might have easily netted more than $50m ... [$116K] is only a tiny percentage of this and therefore not much of a deterrent against future would-be scareware moguls."
I'd go further than that. I would say that this "settlement" will actually encourage others to do the same thing. This is further proof that crime most certainly does pay, and it pays very well. This is also further proof that the FTC is nothing but an ineffectual bureaucracy which should be shut down (as if the Rambus issue didn't show that well enough). I find this "settlement" more insulting than ignoring the issue entirely.
This post has been deleted by its author
White collar crime does pay in Amerika!
Once again, I am proud of our US legal system, where justice is available to all who can afford it.
1)steal millions $$$
2)pay a fraction % in fines and legal
3)profit
4)repeat... unless you promised not to. *nudge, nudge, wink, wink*