Suing Fax.com For $500 Billion

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1. Aug 23rd, 2002 @ 8:40am

   No Subject Given

   by Anonymous Coward

   Interestingly Bob Egelko of the Chronicle doesn't seem to understand the difference between a billion and a trillion, and now it's been picked up by Reuters that fax.com is being sued for $1.5 trillion. The total spending of the US Federal government last year was $2 trillion.

   In suits filed today in state and federal courts, software company owner Steve Kirsch and another plaintiff seek the damages provided by law, $500 for each unsolicited commercial fax over the last four years. If a judge certifies either suit as a nationwide class action on behalf of all recipients, the figure can be multiplied by 3 million, the number of faxes that the company boasts it sends each day, Kirsch said. That comes to $2.2 trillion, even without invoking another section of the law that allows judges to triple damages for willful violations, Kirsch said.

   Last time I checked 500 * 3,000,000 = 1.5 billion, not trillion.

   SFgate article

   Innumeracy in Journalism

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2. Aug 23rd, 2002 @ 9:32am

   Umm check your math

   by Dave

   Last time I checked $500 * 365 (days) * 4 (years) * 3,000,000 = $2.19 trillion

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