Norm Zada
Encyclopedia
Norm Zada is the founder of Perfect 10
, an adult magazine focusing on women without cosmetic surgery. Zada launched the magazine after a friend was rejected from Playboy
magazine because her proportions did not fit the magazine's tastes.
He estimates losing approximately $46 million on Perfect 10 since 1996, when the magazine was first published.
Recently, his magazine is the plaintiff in Perfect 10 v. Google, Inc.
, a lawsuit charging contributory copyright infringement
through the search engine displaying thumbnails of Perfect 10 images hosted at unauthorized third-party sites. Other lawsuits Zada has filed involve adult verification system
supplier Cybernet Ventures, from which he received a confidential settlement, and Visa and Mastercard
, where he alleged that these credit card companies benefited from fees charged to access unauthorized material at third-party pay sites.
Prior to starting Perfect 10, he obtained a doctorate in operations research
at the University of California, Berkeley
and worked at IBM
and was an adjunct mathematics professor at Stanford University
, Columbia University
, UCLA, and UC Irvine, writing textbooks on computer science. After teaching, he became a championship poker
player and money manager. Zadeh made headlines in 1996 when he offered $400,000 for anyone successfully refuting Zadeh's claim that balancing the United States federal budget
would be an "economic disaster".
Zada at one time owned a large mansion in Beverly Park
which he sold in 2010 for $16.5 million.
He is the son of Lotfi Zadeh, a computer scientist who researched fuzzy logic
maths.
Perfect 10
Perfect 10 was a quarterly men's magazine featuring high resolution photographs of topless or nude women who have not had cosmetic surgery in pensive or artistic poses...
, an adult magazine focusing on women without cosmetic surgery. Zada launched the magazine after a friend was rejected from Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine because her proportions did not fit the magazine's tastes.
He estimates losing approximately $46 million on Perfect 10 since 1996, when the magazine was first published.
Recently, his magazine is the plaintiff in Perfect 10 v. Google, Inc.
Perfect 10 v. Google, Inc.
Perfect 10 v. Google, Inc., et al., 416 F. Supp. 2d 828 , was a U.S. court case between Perfect 10, an adult men's magazine and Google, in the district court of the Central District of California...
, a lawsuit charging contributory copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
through the search engine displaying thumbnails of Perfect 10 images hosted at unauthorized third-party sites. Other lawsuits Zada has filed involve adult verification system
Adult Verification System
An Adult Verification System also known as an "Age Gate" is a computing system used by a website to confirm that the user attempting to access their website is of the age required to view the website's content, which typically includes sex, nudity, violence or profanity, or Entertainment Software...
supplier Cybernet Ventures, from which he received a confidential settlement, and Visa and Mastercard
MasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
, where he alleged that these credit card companies benefited from fees charged to access unauthorized material at third-party pay sites.
Prior to starting Perfect 10, he obtained a doctorate in operations research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and worked at IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
and was an adjunct mathematics professor at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, UCLA, and UC Irvine, writing textbooks on computer science. After teaching, he became a championship poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player and money manager. Zadeh made headlines in 1996 when he offered $400,000 for anyone successfully refuting Zadeh's claim that balancing the United States federal budget
United States federal budget
The Budget of the United States Government is the President's proposal to the U.S. Congress which recommends funding levels for the next fiscal year, beginning October 1. Congressional decisions are governed by rules and legislation regarding the federal budget process...
would be an "economic disaster".
Zada at one time owned a large mansion in Beverly Park
Beverly Park
Beverly Park, divided into North Beverly Park and South Beverly Park, is a private gated community located in the hills above Los Angeles, California; this wealthy neighborhood is known for its concentration of exceptionally large houses, up to , and for its famous residents...
which he sold in 2010 for $16.5 million.
He is the son of Lotfi Zadeh, a computer scientist who researched fuzzy logic
Fuzzy logic
Fuzzy logic is a form of many-valued logic; it deals with reasoning that is approximate rather than fixed and exact. In contrast with traditional logic theory, where binary sets have two-valued logic: true or false, fuzzy logic variables may have a truth value that ranges in degree between 0 and 1...
maths.