Google cops serve over blogspot blight

AS politicians battle over the future of financial advice in the nation’s parliament, planners Dale Gillham and Blake Sterling are suing search engine giant Google in a case that involves anonymous bloggers, allegations they run a scam and peculiarly English soft drink Vimto.

Gillham and Sterling have filed in the Victorian Supreme Court over blogs hosted on Google’s blogspot service that describe them as “dirty scoundrels” and their business Wealth Within as a “scam”.

Wordpress operator Automattic is also targeted over a secondary blog.

The blogspot blogs are purportedly written by one Ronald Baker — a name the financial planners allege is “fictitious”.

Indeed, Margin Call can reveal the headshot used on the blogs actually belongs to a man who works for Vimto (touted as “a unique mix of concentrated grape, raspberry and blackcurrant juices seriously mixed up to taste fan-flippin-tastic”, for those unfamiliar with the concoction).

“I have nothing to do with the blog and I was not aware that the image was being used,” said the man, who Margin Call reckons doesn’t need his name dragged through the mud.

Google declined to comment as it has yet to be served.

Hair affair

CALL it the Sassoon Oration. Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi’s speech yesterday filibustering a move by Labor and crossbenchers to knock the government’s rollback of Future of Financial Advice rules was up there with Winston Churchill’s “fight them on the beaches” or Martin LutherKing’s “I have a dream”.

Bernardi took the fight to Labor MP Tim Watts, who had accused him of justifying violence against women.

After attacking Watts for having “more product in his hair than Vidal Sassoon” and twisting his words, Bernardi told the Senate of the shocking fact that made the attack inexcusable: “It was my birthday.”

Labor Senator Sam Dastyari, who organised the crossbench coup, also copped a serve.

“This is not just some union cabal that you can turn up to with your thugs and smash people’s legs in to get your way,” he said.

In closing, Bernardi returned to Watts. “No one knows who he is but if you see someone with a lot of product in their hair, long hair, gazing into mirrors adoringly, it’s probably he.”

Watts said on Twitter he was “delighted to have him (Bernardi) as a self-proclaimed enemy”.

Perth connection

BIG moves percolating on the share register of digital coffee card outfit Rewardle, which boasts former Fairfax Media and Playboy Video executive Jack Matthews as chairman.

About 4.3 million shares in the tech minnow changed hands in a special crossing just before the close of market yesterday. They moved over at 20.5c, a small discount to the prevailing price of 22c.

Founder and 75 per cent shareholder Ruwan Weerasooriya said he wasn’t the one selling but wouldn’t spill the Java beans on who was.

Margin Call wonders if it has anything to do with controversial Perth businessman Robert Paul Martin. He didn’t return a phone call.

Gone to ground

FOR a company that makes good coin out of the communication business, email marketing group Campaign Monitor is awfully shy.

Margin Call has been trying to contact the company for a couple of days now, wanting to ask some questions about the company’s upcoming employee share offer and its remarkable financial success.

No response. It’s not as if the company can’t afford it. BRW estimates founders David Greiner and Ben Richardson are worth $500 million and, according to company documents, Campaign Monitor made a whopping great profit of $29m in the year ending June 30, after tax.

Margins are wider than the stripes on a real estate agent’s suit: a profit before tax of $40.7m was made off revenue of just $57.2m.