Seriously, you can't blame them for what they did. They saw an opportunity (if it wasn't already planned from the start) and they jumped at it, and I'm sure they are capitalizing on it five million times over.
There are two companies that specialize in the art of spyware. WhenU and Ciara (formerly Gator). They literally make millions each day from their advertisers and affiliate links. They are spyware to the max.
You have to ask yourself, if someone told you "I can show you how to make $20 Million in one year, but you'll have to burn every bridge you've made to do so" would you take it or turn it down. I will bet that 99.9% (excluding the french, because they are just idiots) would say, "hook me up!" with zero hesitation. I'm not applauding these guys, but they made a business decision, and they are making more than enough money with it, and I doubt they regret it too. So just find a new free counter and use that. Stop pretending to care so much, you are just upset that you didn't think of it first, and that's the end of it.
