Gator AKA Claria AKA Jellycloud Bites the Dust!

[Linda Buquet]

If you have been in the affiliate marketing industry for any period of time you remember Gator, one of the most notorious spyware/parasites. For newbies that may not be aware, parasites are affiliates that steal commission from other affiliates.

Gator launched in 1999 and morphed into Claria, I believe it was in 2003. The name change did nothing to help the companies reputation.

In 2005 it was rumored that Microsoft wanted to buy Claria. I took credit for stopping the deal with my little cartoon on the left. ;-)

Recently Gator quietly re-morphed from Claria to JellyCloud with an $11.5 million cash infusion cash. This week VALLYWAG reports JellyCloud went belly up.

I hate to see anyone go bankrupt, in this economy I'm afraid many companies in the ad space may. However, this is one company where I have to say - "what goes around comes around and you get what you deserve in the end!"

Sneaky ad startup Jellycloud deflates, taking $50 million-plus with it
"The online-ad network market is clogged with startups; most are bound to fail. But no death may be greeted with more joy than Jellycloud, the latest incarnation of Gator, a startup whose software was caught spying on users. A tipster tells us Jellycloud, with 36 employees, went under this weekend, with liquidators repossessing their furniture. A hard death, after a questionable birth."

Techdirt has more in a recent story about Gator's history and ultimate demise.
Is The Original Spyware Company Finally Dead?