UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
_______________________________
FORM
8-K
_______________________________
CURRENT
REPORT
PURSUANT
TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,
February
28,
2007
|
|
0-25053
|
Date
of Report (Date of earliest event
reported)
|
|
Commission
File Number
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Delaware
|
|
14-1782422
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization)
|
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification
Number)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
110
East Broward Boulevard, Suite
1400
|
|
|
Fort
Lauderdale, Florida 33301
|
|
|
(Address
of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(954)
769-5900
|
|
|
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
|
|
Check
the
appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously
satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following
provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
o |
Written
communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17
CFR
230.425)
|
o |
Soliciting
material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14a-12)
|
o |
Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17
CFR
240.14d-2(b))
|
o |
Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17
CFR
240.13e-4(c))
|
This
Report includes forward-looking statements related to theglobe.com, inc. that
involve risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to the ultimate
outcome of the litigation described below. These forward-looking statements
are
made in reliance on the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For further information about these and other
factors that could affect theglobe.com’s future results and business plans,
including theglobe’s ability to continue operations as a going concern, please
see the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
in particular our Annual Report of Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2005 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September
30,
2006. Copies of these filings are available online at http://www.sec.gov.
Prospective investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of performance. Actual results may differ materially and adversely
from management expectations.
Item
8.01. Other Events
On
June
1, 2006, MySpace, Inc. (“MySpace”), a Delaware corporation, filed a lawsuit in
the United States District Court for the Central District of California against
theglobe.com, Inc. (the “Company”). The case is styled MySpace,
Inc. v theglobe.com,
CV
06-3391-RGK. MySpace alleged that the Company sent at least 100,000 unsolicited
and unauthorized commercial email messages to MySpace members using MySpace
user
accounts improperly established by the Company, that the user accounts were
used
in a false and misleading fashion and that the Company's alleged activities
constituted violations of the CAN-SPAM Act, the Lanham Act and California
Business & Professions Code § 17529.5 (the “California Act”) , as well as
trademark infringement, false advertising, breach of contract, breach of the
covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and unfair competition. MySpace seeks
monetary penalties, damages and injunctive relief for these alleged violations.
It asserts entitlement to recover "a minimum of" $62.3 million damages, in
addition to three times the amount of MySpace's actual damages and/or
disgorgement of the Company's purported profits from alleged violations of
the
Lanham Act, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. Subsequent discovery in the
case disclosed that the total number of unsolicited messages was approximately
400,000.
On
February 28, 2007, the Court entered an order (the “Order”) granting in part
MySpace’s motion for summary judgment, finding that the Company was liable for
violation of the CAN-SPAM Act and the California Business & Professions
Code, and for breach of contract (as embodied in MySpace’s “Terms of Service”
contract). The Order also upheld as valid that portion of MySpace’s Terms of
Service contract which provides for liquidated damages of $50 per email message
sent after March 17, 2006 in violation of such Terms. The Company estimates
that
approximately 110,000 of the emails in question were sent after such date,
which
could result in damages of approximately $5.5 million. In addition, the CAN-SPAM
Act provides for statutory damages of between $100 and $300 per email sent
in
violation of the statute. Total damages under CAN-SPAM could therefore
range between about $40 million to about $120 million. Under the California
Act,
statutory damages of $1,000,000 “per incident” may be assessed. The law is
unclear as to what constitutes an “incident” under this statute.
The
Order
did not dispose of all of the issues in the case and is not a final judgment
nor
did it make a determination as to the actual amount of damages. Therefore,
the
Company does not expect to appeal this Order at this time. The Company is
reviewing its options in light of the Order and will continue its efforts to
reach a settlement. The Company anticipates that based on findings in the Order,
that any judgment against it would materially and adversely affect its financial
condition and future operations, including the potential bankruptcy or cessation
of business of the Company.
In
addition, the entry of the Order may also increase the likelihood that the
holders of an aggregate of $3.4 million in secured convertible demand notes
(the
“Convertible Notes”) make demand for payment of such Notes. In the event demand
is made for repayment of the Convertible Notes, the Company will not have the
resources to repay the Convertible Notes. Inasmuch as substantially all of
the
assets of the Company and its subsidiaries secure the Convertible Notes, in
connection with any resulting proceeding to collect the indebtedness relating
to
the Convertible Notes, the Noteholders could seize and sell the assets of the
Company and its subsidiaries, any or all of which would have a material adverse
effect on the financial condition and operations of the Company, including
the
potential bankruptcy or cessation of business of the Company.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.
|
|
|
|
theglobe.com,
inc. |
|
|
|
Dated:
March 5, 2007 |
By: |
/s/ Edward
Cespedes |
|
Edward
Cespedes,
President |