Tumblr 101: Tips And Tricks To Get Started
Sebastian Thrun: Google's Driverless Car
Was Zuckerberg's mysterious Facebook contract forged?
Just when Facebook was riding high on the publicity from its upcoming movie and its 500 millionth user, a lawsuit popped up, claiming that Mark Zuckerberg signed away half the company back in 2003.Facebook has taken a look at the supposed contract between Zuckerberg and a guy who supposedly hired him to build the original "The Face Book" site when he was at Harvard, and they "strongly suspect" Zuck's signature was forged.
This is just another entry in the long line of drama over who really owns the golden goose that is Facebook. Zuckerberg's former Harvard friends and collaborators have also claimed he stole Facebook from them, and those stories turned into the upcoming Hollywood movie The Social Network.
Paul Ceglia, the guy on the other side of this supposed contract, has some problems, even if the signature is real. It's been almost 7 years since the $1000 contract, and Facebook's value has grown tremendously in that time, making it unlikely that a judge would award anywhere near half of the company's current worth. Ceglia has also been indicted for fraud before, as recently as 2009, for a bad deal involving heating equipment. Whatever your feelings are about Zuckerberg's reliability, Ceglia isn't exactly a model of trustworthiness either.
[via Wired]
Comments
7
Subscribe to commentsbenJul 23rd 2010 6:53PM
I suspect the contract is real. Otherwise he'll be saying that it's fake.
LeroyJul 23rd 2010 7:23PM
Of course it's not real ... he signed it "Mr. Zigby". Duh.
clipsiniteJul 23rd 2010 10:04PM
Hey! A lot of young adults in their late teens and early 20s sign like that! I did until recently.
WilliamNighthawkJul 24th 2010 9:01AM
YEAH! What he said :P
I sign my signature NH ∞ but a little bigger and sharper to act as both a metaphor for me always being myself (infinity me) and to act as a pair of wings.
Ariel HorwitzJul 24th 2010 10:17AM
Whatever. Zuckerberg's too scared to put it up for IPO because it's not worth anything but "potential" at the moment. Half a billion users and revenue not even reaching a billion, with actual net profits only starting in 2009. When I see how this potential of a site can be monetized properly, this might be interesting. Bubble?
Unless this new dude can run the site to the ground, then I'll pull out the popcorn.
aidriiyanJul 24th 2010 10:37AM
for money money money money, money!
p-diddyJul 27th 2010 12:13AM
Funny how "Statute of Limitations" and "S#!T Outta Luck" are both SOL.
NY has a 6 year statute of limitations to bring a claim based on a contract dispute. The complaint even specifies:
Since April 28, 2003, [Ceglia] has complied with the terms and conditions of the contract and [Zuckerberg] has failed to similarly comply with the terms of the contract to the detriment of [Ceglia].
His claim expired April, 28, 2009. This is Civil Procedure 101 people.