Liberty Surf, the French internet company which last week fell to a less-than-stunning 75% below its IPO price in March, has resorted to emergency tactics. After an expensive and slick TV ad campaign, which resurrected revolutionary leaders such as Robespierre, Che Guevara, Gandhi and Lenin to marvel at the Liberty Surf revolution in France, it has taken a more blunt approach to pep up its share price.

In the French press last week, it ran a series of back-to-basics, full-page adverts asking, 'How does a company like Liberty Surf make money?' The longer answer rambled on about the stock being a media company, just like any radio or TV company, which makes money in just the same way. The shorter answer of course is that for the time being, and for the foreseeable future, it doesn't.