Released on: September 20, 2007, 12:24 pm

Press Release Author: Byron Keaton

Industry: Internet & Online

Press Release Summary: In 2005 and 2006, web hosting company AIT www.AIT.com filed
an FBI criminal complaint and lawsuit against Fayetteville Publishing Company (FPC)
in Cumberland County, NC alleging that the local Fayetteville Observer,
www.fayettevillenc.com / www.fayobserver.com or Fayetteville Publishing Company
(FPC) of committing online Click Fraud against its local, classified and national
advertisers by inflating its web traffic to its website.

Press Release Body: (Fayetteville NC) In 2005 and 2006, web hosting company AIT
www.AIT.com filed an FBI criminal complaint and lawsuit against Fayetteville
Publishing Company (FPC) in Cumberland County, NC alleging that the local
Fayetteville Observer, www.fayettevillenc.com / www.fayobserver.com or Fayetteville
Publishing Company (FPC) of committing online Click Fraud against its local,
classified and national advertisers by inflating its web traffic to its website. The
lawsuit alleged that the manufactured traffic\'s sole intent is to drive up the
number of impressions and clicks so it could charge advertisers more money. AIT
placed the criminal complaint on hold until recently. During the litigation, FPC
servers were maintained by a third party until a court ruled that the servers be
returned to FPC, who in turn agreed to preserve the servers in tact as evidence
until the litigation between the parties was concluded.
On September 14th, 2007, AIT filed a TRO requesting the court to intervene and
expressing concerns that FPC may have spoiled or destroyed the evidence on the
servers even though litigation is still ongoing. The motion alleges the concern
arose because FPC asserted that it was under no obligation to preserve the evidence.
However, the transcripts of the court proceedings that returned the web servers to
FPC indicate that FPC agreed to preserve the servers as evidence. Company officials
at AIT indicate that they have reopened the FBI criminal investigation and have
asked the FBI to intervene to protect the evidence on the FPC web servers.
AIT company officials also said that the day after FPC attorneys asserted they had
no obligation to preserve the evidence, Paul Woolverton, a reporter from FPC, went
to the Cumberland County Courthouse to obtain a copy of the transcripts from the
hearing. "We have a copy of the document where Mr. Woolverton signed for the
transcripts the day after attorneys from both sides discussed the issue," said
Clarence Briggs, CEO of AIT. "I find this very odd, considering that we have
recently uncovered and expressed our concerns about FPC employees posting derogatory
and libelous information on the web about AIT and its employees for the past several
years, often anonymously. Of course, the same FPC web servers are involved here as
well."
AIT is the company that led the class action lawsuit against Google.
AIT has also worked with the FBI and Senate Judiciary Committee
regarding Click Fraud and its potential ties to funding organized
crime and terrorism. "I have just returned from DC again discussing
this issue with various officials," said Briggs. "It is amazing
that we produce over 60,000 pages of discovery and evidence and days
of depositions to substantiate our allegations while FPC managed to
produce very little in discovery. The primary thing we asked of them
was to protect the core evidence maintained on the original web
servers." AIT started the Click Fraud portal www.igeryon.org as a
non-profit clearing house to address the issue. The complaint filed
by AIT against FPC is located there along with extensive
documentation about Click Fraud.




Web Site: http://www.AIT.com

Contact Details: Advanced Internet Technologies, Inc.
910-321-1247