O'Reilly Network: 2002: The Carpetbaggers Go Home You can't be a control-freak on a public network. KPMG learned this lesson the hard way. The big-name Internet carpetbagger consultants have a policy that requires anyone wishing to link to their site to secure a formal, legally binding agreement in advance -- just as anyone using KPMG's trademarks would have to negotiate that right first. When KPMG sent a threatening note to Chris Raettig, an itinerant British engineer, demanding that he produce evidence of his formal agreement granting him permission to link to their site, Raettig countered by sending back a snippy note and posting both to his Web site. Within days, KPMG had become a laughingstock, their brand ("KPMG is the global network of professional advisory firms whose aim is to turn knowledge into value for the benefit of its clients, its people and communities.") flushed down the toilet.