Glenn Roberts Jr. at Inman has written a great article about Vlad’s plight and ePerks in which we were interviewed. It is worth noting that the exposure this article brings to ePerks is yet another clear defeat for ePerks and CEO Ben Behrouzi. Even if they had a possibility of a courtroom win, they and their brand are by and far the clear losers in any scenario involving litigation regardless of the outcome. Their actions are clearly an ego driven reaction and the results of having no strategy reflect that. The only victory they can obtain is by leaving the stage altogether and worrying less about others’ opinions and more about their customers.
From the Interview:
In an Inman News interview, Richardson said, “There is a principle involved of the ability of the blogger to express an opinion. To write a critical piece. That affects us all.”
He said he has been contacted by ePerks officials about his writings at the site, and he offered, “If anything is printed that’s wrong, we’ll print a retraction — make corrections.”
Richardson said that if he, too, is hit with a lawsuit from ePerks, he expects to prevail. “If you have to do it, you have to do it. When we win, we will have that much more leverage in the future when people come to us,” he said.
ePerks CEO Ben Behrouzi on BrokerScience
Behrouzi said that the company does “seek to hold people accountable,” and named Trace Richardson, creator of the BrokerScience blog, as another blogger who is posting items about the company.
Our Response: The only person you need to hold responsible is yourself Ben. Your failure to assume responsibility for your actions is the cause of this ordeal and ultimately, the destruction of the ePerks brand. Make no mistake, not a single page about ePerks would have ever been written on BrokerScience had we not heard about a company named ePerks with a CEO named Ben Behrouzi that was bullying bloggers.
ePerks Attorney Ron Cook on the Lawsuit Against Vlad:
“The issue we’re trying to promote is responsible speech. If you’re going to take us on and criticize us, at least do it with some comments that have some validity to them,” he said.
“The free speech aspect of all of this is an important consideration. We don’t expect to live in a bubble where nobody can throw darts. We want to make sure the darts are fairly thrown.”
This above statement is stark contrast to the request he made in an earlier C & D letter to Vlad where he didn’t simply request that “darts were fairly thrown”, he requested removal of all current and future digital, print, internet or verbal reference of ePerks related content or ePerks related links.
“You are hereby instructed to promptly do the following: (1) shutter and prevent access to all blogs with any ePERKS reference or content; (2)remove any record of their existence; (3) terminate any links pointing to any blogs that reference ePERKS; and (4) cease and desist from any and all current and future digital, print, Internet or verbal reference to ePERKS.com or Barbus Venture Corporation. This includes closing down your January 28, 2008 lbog that continues to direct readers to your previous remarks and postings.” – ePerks Attorney Ron Cook in C & D letter to Vlad
ePerks Attorney Ron Cook on the Overwhelming Support Behind Vlad
“Clearly, his minions out there are rallying behind him.”
On that Note: A Special Treat for BrokerScience Readers!
If you are part of the Real Estate Community: Click Here
If you are Ben Behrouzi & Company: Click Here
Other BrokerScience Coverage of Ben Behrouzi / ePerks / LeapFish / DotNext:
Ben Behrouzi Caught on Tape: Threatens to Blackball Employee on Voicemail
Vlad Zablotzkyy Defeats LeapFish / ePerks / DotNext CEO Ben Behrouzi
Ben Behrouzi, LeapFish CEO Caught Spamming TechCrunch
The Beginner’s Action Guide to Learning about Vlad Zablotkyy vs. ePerks / Ben Behrouzi
ePerks / LeapFish CEO Ben Behrouzi Threatens BrokerScience with Legal Action
ePerks IP Address Link to Vlad Zablotzkyy: When the Hunter Becomes the Prey
iHype.com Launch Coverage Here
Ben Behrouzi Updates Company “Values” and “Culture” Web Pages. Only One Problem: They’re Stolen
Beginning of the End: ePerks CEO Ben Behrouzi Sues Blogger, Confirms No Strategy in Place
BrokerScience Acquires BenBehrouzi.com
Related posts:
- ePerks Abandoned & Hacked, A Glimpse into LeapFish’s Future
- BrokerScience Acquires BenBehrouzi.com
- The Beginner’s Action Guide to Learning about ePerks / Ben Behrouzi vs Vlad Zablotkyy
- LeapFish CEO Ben Behrouzi Insinuates Legal Action Against BrokerScience, Cites “Damages”
- BrokerScience Issues Ben Behrouzi Coup de Grace
. Being hacked in the future is the least of...
Trace Richardson
Dear fellow minion -
Excellent post (and cool Wicked Witch graphic)!
Indeed. I love being called a minion. It truly thrills me. Believe me, with my acerbic wit and controversial persona- I get called lots of things- minion is a first though, so I will relish my “minion” cherry popping. I am tired of fence sitters- take a stand and do the right thing. This ePerks company and Ben B are nothing but bullies with vapor-ware. When you have a product that sucks and people attack it you start suing people because you know you can’t make money at the cash register- when you have a product that works- you defend it with REAL client testimonials, new features and a PR firm so you can make money selling it. ePerks: Go back to business school and get a clue or at least stop screwing with people that have clues, attitude, forums to voice their opinion on, money enough to defend your legal harassment and Ivy League degrees.