Can a Fresh Coat of Lipstick Make a Spyware IPO Succeed?
Not many people remember Claria by its original – and far more controversial – moniker of Gator… all except the bunch of companies still suing their pants off for unfair competition, unfair trade and violation of trademark and copyright. Essentially, Gator’s business had been to redirect traffic from the site a Web surfer intends to visit to that of a competitor (and Gator client). But Gator had an image problem. They were considered underhanded – the name Gator and the logo that went with it certainly gave an impression they were proud of that rep. But, Gator’s re-christening as Claria is made complete by the IPO filing – here’s an excerpt from the ClickZ network: Controversial ad-supported software player Claria, formerly known as Gator, filed for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week. The company is hoping to raise $150 million. Claria had net income of about $35 million on revenue of $90 million in 2003, according to documents file
