ENTERTAINMENT LAW DIGEST – Dec 16 - AshleyMadison.com may sue SeekingArrangement.com for using its distinctive image of a woman with her finger on her lips. Both parties are alos accusing each other of purchasing Internet advertising related to searches for the other's dating site.
by Jack Bouboushian
The full article was originally published at Entertainment Law Digest, but is no longer available.
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CHARLOTTE OBSERVER – Dec 13 – A Charlotte man blames the breakup of his marriage on AshleyMadison. North Carolina remains one of only a half-dozen states that still awards punitive damages when a marriage fails and someone other than the husband and wife is to blame. He is accusing the company and the wife's lover with working together to seduce his wife, ruining his 13-year marriage. He asks for damages of ~$10K.
by Michael Gordon
The full article was originally published at Charlotte Observer, but is no longer available.
BUSINESS INSIDER – Nov 15 – Are bogus profiles on a dating website illegal? It turns out they may be in a legal gray area. Ashley Madison discloses in its terms of agreement that some of its profiles may be "fictitious." " Ashley’s Angels provide entertainment, attempt to simulate communications with members to encourage more conversation and interaction with users." However, Ashley Madison may get into trouble if somebody can prove its marketing pitches let on that users are getting more than a fantasy.
by Erin Fuchs
See full article at Business Insider
THE CANADIAN PRESS – Nov 11 – Doriana Silva, a former AshleyMadison.com's employee, says she damaged her wrists typing up hundreds of fake profiles of sexy women. She is seeking $20M from Ashley Madison for what she calls the company's "unjust enrichment" at her expense, plus another $1M in punitive and general damages. She was hired to help launch a Portuguese-language version of the site and asked to create 1K fake profiles in just 3 weeks.
by Paola Loriggio
See full article at Huffington Post
AM says her suit is frivolous. "Throughout this lawsuit, Ms. Silva has continued to lead an active life including riding a jet ski, an unlikely activity for someone who has allegedly suffered serious injury."
TELEGRAPH.CO.UK – Oct 24 – The launch of Ashley Madison has sparked a public outcry in conservative Singapore. Singapore's minister for social and family development spoke out against the site, saying it was damaging to the institution of marriage. Ashley Madison has ~20M users worldwide and has recently been pushing into Asia with launches in India, Hong Kong and Japan. Singapore, a society known for its strict social mores, has also prompted a Facebook petition with ~13K supporters.
WASHINGTON POST – Oct 21 – When Aaron Schildkrout co-founded HowAboutWe.com, he wanted it to be something different than the other dating sites, which relied on mathematical calculations to match singles. But now HowAboutWe depends on formulas. “We need to get smarter about who we show you", Schildkrout said. HAW team created an algorithm that combines a users’ profile info with their behavior on the site. Match.com President Amarnath Thombre says what users often say they are looking for is not always the kinds of profiles they view. Match.com implemented a user-action-driven algorithm in 2009. AshleyMadison.com's algorithm is frequently adjusted to reflect aggregate user behavior and individual preferences. In 2002 married women searched for married men, but today, ~12% are interested in single partners.
by Mohana Ravindranath
See full article at Washington Post
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TRUTHDIVE – Oct 12 – AshleyMadison.com has now been launched in Hong Kong after starting first in Japan. Hong Kong is the 29th market of the infidelity site, which started 11 years ago in Canada.
The full article was originally published at TruthDive, but is no longer available.
NEWSWEEK – Oct 10 – Fortress Investments, a New York hedge fund, will loan Avid Life Media $50M over two years. Encouraging news for Noel Biderman who has been trashed by everyone including Dr. Phil. "The pursuit of an infidelity is a biological drive." Biderman believes his business is good business. He owns 10% of the company which made $30M in profits on $90M revenues in 2012, and expects $40M in profits on $120M in revenues this year. Male users buy credits that cover email and chat conversations ($49/100 credits = 20 emails). Women are free. Upgrades include Priority Man which highlights a man's profile, and The BlackBook app which hides a user's real phone number under a "disposable" number. The Affair Guarantee package is $249 and promises buyers a refund if they don't have an affair within three months. There's no advertising on the site. ~70% of paid members are male 40+, and of that group, 84% are married.
by Lynnley Browning
See full article at Newsweek
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MYBROADBAND – Aug 27 – Noel Biderman is setting his sights on China after a controversial launch in Hong Kong. AshleyMadison received ~320K Hong Kong hits in the past year without spending anything on marketing. Government data show 30 out of 100 married couples filed for a divorce in 2011, twice as many as in 1991. The number of divorce cases hit a record high of 21,125 in 2012. ~ 640K people from China tried to access Ashley Madison in the past year before it was available, showing “a lot of pent-up demand” in the country, Biderman said.
SHALOM LIFE – Aug 5 – Ashley Madison claims 20M members in 26 countries, $90M in revenue in 2012, and a new member every nine seconds.
Q: A lot of people peg you as the 'King of Infidelity', but you didn’t always bear this moniker. How did your career trajectory change so drastically?
A: I’m incredibly competitive and argumentative. My temperament helped me see gaps in product development and business consumption. Even though I was in the career of my dreams (athletics), there was a siren out there calling me to fill that market void.
Q: How do you brainstorm ideas for advertisements that society is still finding hard to stomach?
A: Sometimes society has its head in the sand. It truly doesn’t want to believe that people behave atypically. We want people to know that other people think and feel like the same way; that there’s a community to join for comfort.
Q: Which of the dating communities that Avid Life represents is gaining the most traction and traffic. Why?
A: Ashley Madison. Building site that caters to extracurricular relationships is more universally feasible. Because of this, Ashley Madison will always be the largest.
Q: When countering your critics you often object with, "We're just a platform. No website or 30-second ad is going to convince anyone to cheat." Can you elaborate?
A: The notion of monogamy goes against our DNA. Is it any wonder people look to find comfort in the arms of another?
Q: Coming from a Jewish pedigree, does Ashley Madison target the Jewish community?
A: We target women. Socioeconomics, ethnicity, and age doesn’t come into play when narrowing our demographic.
Q: What would people be surprised to know about you?
A: I think people are surprised to know I’m an avid fisherman and a family guy.
Q: Where do you see the future for Ashley Madison and Avid Life within the next 5 years?
A: The goal is to be the best you can be. Ultimately, we strive to be the biggest dating website on the planet.
by Ashley Peters
The full article was originally published at Shalom Life, but is no longer available.