Since July 2021, an individual or organization has been using the name Giga Society without our consent. This constitutes theft of intellectual property since the name "Giga Society" belongs to Paul Cooijmans by virtue of the proven fact that Cooijmans has been using said name since 1996.
Firstly, irrefutable proof will be shown that the offending entity has tried to make the counterfeit society appear older than it is be falsely attributing it to three subsequent different founders, the last of which is actually deceased as of 2019, rendering this a regrettable manipulation since the dead can not object any more to such an abuse of their reputation:
First false attribution: [screenshot] [link to wayback machine (scroll down there to see text)]
Second false attribution: [screenshot] [link to wayback machine]
Third false attribution: [screenshot] [link to wayback machine]
The three attributions contradict one another, and the fact that even the third attribution has meanwhile been replaced with yet another narrative disproves all three earlier ones. The claims of an origin in 2001, 1982, or 1989 are rejected therefore. What we are seeing is one lie after another being made up as the earlier lie got found out.
After the second attribution had been objected to, the entity commenced publishing defamatory statements about that person and society on several web sites. Proof is not shown here to not further spread those lies, but the Internet archive does not lie. Then followed the third attribution, drawing on a deceased person who can not object.
Logo used by counterfeit society in 2022: [screenshot] [link to wayback machine]
Logo used by old site of real Giga Society in 2004: [screenshot] [link to wayback machine (click on logo to see introductory text of the site)]
One may notice some slight similarity between the two logos if one looks really hard.
From 30 May to 6 June 2021, a member of the offending entity contacted the Giga Society Administrator, asking (1) whether the Giga Society desired to be added to the United Sigma Intelligence Association and the IQ Olympiad Foundation, (2) whether the Giga Society accepted the Hoeflin Power Test, and (3) whether the Administrator would extrapolate the asker's WAIS-IV score. The answer to all three inquiries was negative. By way of proof, these messages will be shown on request to persons of sufficient seniority in the high-I.Q. community, such as I.Q. society administrators and I.Q. test creators. This serves to prove that the entity was well aware of the Giga Society's existence, and interested in joining, prior to its attempt at impersonating the same Giga Society.
Then, as proved by several e-mail messages from a Giga Society member to the Administrator dated 10 July 2021, it was observed that the entity had begun using the name Giga Society for a group at https://groups.io/g/unitedgiga/ (defunct), a Facebook group (defunct), and a web site [archived] that would later acquire the domain gigasociety.net. It was also observed over time that an old logo of the Giga Society was used (proof above), that text of the real Giga Society web site was used, in particular the society's description and the paragraph warning for clandestine groups falsely using the name Giga Society, and that at least three actual Giga Society members were listed as members of the clandestine group without their consent. In addition, it was observed that some actual Giga Society members were invited by electronic mail to join the clandestine group. In other words, it appeared that the concept of the Giga Society was being copied by an entity attempting a hostile takeover.
The entity was urged to stop using the name Giga Society but did not comply, and instead started to falsely attribute the counterfeit society to three subsequent different founders so as to pre-date it (proof above).
It was observed that the counterfeit society published a book with the name Giga Society in its title, purportedly associated with the Giga Society. No permission has been given for this publication [Order page (Let us help the poor guys make a bit of money with their clandestine book)].
It was also observed that the entity has previously usurped the United Sigma Intelligence Association, originally founded in 2007 by a Glia Society member as a genuine I.Q. society, but completely taken over by the entity around 2018, who turned it into the hollow facade it is today, described by Howard Gardner as a reputational Ponzi scheme. We would not want the Giga Society to go the same way.
It was observed that the counterfeit society disagrees with the admission policy of the actual Giga Society, calling it an "atrocity". Our response is that each society is entitled to its own policy, and that such a difference of insight is no reason for a hostile takeover. One can simply start one's own society with a different name.
The facts leave no doubt that the present society is the original and real Giga Society, and that the counterfeit society is recent (2021) and falsely claiming to be older. The counterfeit society is kindly requested to cease using the name Giga Society forthwith.
However, in the Christian spirit of forgiveness, we suggest and will accept that the counterfeit society change their name to "Giga Foundation". This is historically appropriate, considering the legendary feud in the 1990s between two competing Mega Societies, which was resolved by the second Mega Society's changing their name to Mega Foundation. The entity behind the counterfeit society will then be in the footsteps, as it were, of the Mega Foundation, founded by "the world's smartest man". We hope that this solution provides an honorable way out for the entity and will be to everyone's satisfaction. This offer is temporary and will be withdrawn when the entity continues one's aggressive attack on the Giga Society.
