Microsoft has king spammer on toast
ELIZABETH GILLESPIE IN SEATTLE
MICROSOFT has won a £3.9 million settlement from a man once billed as one of the world's most prolific spammers in a deal the software maker heralded as a coup in the fight against unsolicited e-mails.
Microsoft, headed by Bill Gates, said the money from Scott Richter and his company, OptInRealBig.com, will be used to boost efforts to combat spam and other computer misuse.
"People engage in spam to make money," said Brad Smith, Microsoft's chief legal counsel. "We have now proven that we can take one of the most profitable spammers in the world and separate him from his money. And I think that sends a powerful message to other people who might be tempted to engage in illegal spam."
The deal is the second stemming from joint lawsuits Microsoft and Eliot Spitzer, the New York state attorney general, filed in December 2003 after the software company set "spam traps" that netted some 8,000 messages containing 40,000 fraudulent statements.
The lawsuits sought as much as £11.1 million in fines against members of a sprawling spam ring.
In the settlement announced on Tuesday, Mr Richter and his company agreed to comply with United States laws and pledged not to send spam to anyone who has not confirmed a willingness to receive it.
He also agreed to let authorities monitor the business for three years to ensure it does not send any illegal spam.
More...
ELIZABETH GILLESPIE IN SEATTLE
MICROSOFT has won a £3.9 million settlement from a man once billed as one of the world's most prolific spammers in a deal the software maker heralded as a coup in the fight against unsolicited e-mails.
Microsoft, headed by Bill Gates, said the money from Scott Richter and his company, OptInRealBig.com, will be used to boost efforts to combat spam and other computer misuse.
"People engage in spam to make money," said Brad Smith, Microsoft's chief legal counsel. "We have now proven that we can take one of the most profitable spammers in the world and separate him from his money. And I think that sends a powerful message to other people who might be tempted to engage in illegal spam."
The deal is the second stemming from joint lawsuits Microsoft and Eliot Spitzer, the New York state attorney general, filed in December 2003 after the software company set "spam traps" that netted some 8,000 messages containing 40,000 fraudulent statements.
The lawsuits sought as much as £11.1 million in fines against members of a sprawling spam ring.
In the settlement announced on Tuesday, Mr Richter and his company agreed to comply with United States laws and pledged not to send spam to anyone who has not confirmed a willingness to receive it.
He also agreed to let authorities monitor the business for three years to ensure it does not send any illegal spam.
More...
posted by Roms at 20:23
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