Attorney Pete Wellborn obtains Global Restraining Order against spammer Benchmark Print Supply, and seeks contempt sanctions. If successful this case will close down one of the most prolific US spammers. [PR Newswire]
No one will admit to liking spam -- the canned pseudo-meat or the unsolicited e-mail that bears its name. But despite the current efforts of governments in North America and Europe to get it back into the can, spam is destined to be, and should be, a fact of Internet life -- just like junk mail is in the real world. [E-Commerce Times]
eBay, Inc. said it will get $1.2 million (US$) under a lawsuit settlement with ReverseAuction.com, Inc., which had been accused of illegally obtaining eBay user IDs and addresses in order to send them unwanted and misleading e-mail. [E-Commerce Times]
Responding to complaints that the Microsoft Network is allowing spammers to relay junk e-mail through MSN servers, the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS) has added several MSN systems to its notorious anti-spam blacklist. The action could potentially disrupt emails from thousands of legitimate MSN subscribers. [InternetNews]
As a result of intense pressure from anti-spam activists, major ISPs are taking steps to ensure their salespeople do not sign contracts with companies that send unsolicited commercial e-mail. [E-Commerce Times]
A survey released this week by Forrester Research, Inc. reports that e-tailers are now using electronic mail as a major means of generating repeat business from customers. [E-Commerce Times]
Do marketers have the right to flood the e-mail boxes of unsuspecting Internet users with unwanted e-mail, otherwise known as spam? One Washington state judge has effectively said yes -- and has sparked an instant debate about the constitutionality of laws that limit the use of spam. [E-Commerce Times]
In a bid to ward off U.S. government regulation, a coalition of online marketing heavyweights announced plans Monday to propose standards meant to ease consumer concerns about spam and online privacy. [E-Commerce Times]
Jupiter Communications released a report on Monday predicting that worldwide direct e-mail marketing will balloon from $164 million (US$) in 1999 to $7.3 billion in 2005. [E-Commerce Times]
Stumbling ISP PSINet has owned up to a contract with a sender of bulk unsolicited commercial email - known to you and me as spam. It has long been a suspicion that some ISPs have had illicit contracts with spammers, despite a publicly stated policy against such practices. [The Register]
A man who spammed millions of AOL subscribers with pornography and get-rich-quick schemes has pleaded guilty to second-degree forgery in a US District court. [The Register]
A US District Court in Denver has issued a temporary restraining order on behalf of online marketing gurus, 24/7, against the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS). [The Register]
Major American ISP and Gargantuan telecomms generalist Verizon was deluged with so much spam last week that its servers were unable to function at times, and left customers with something like a 24-hour e-mail delivery delay. [The Register]
Even though there are now some state laws closely regulating spamming, the practice of sending mass unsolicited e-mails has acquired a sheen of respectability, and in some quarters is enthusiastically referred to as "sending an e-mail blitz." [E-Commerce Times]
Microsoft today said it plans to revise a notification message accompanying a test version of its new MSN Explorer software, bowing to criticism that the feature resembles self-promoting spam. [CNET.com]
Attempting to distance itself from a spam controversy, PSINet cut off service to an admitted sender of unsolicited commercial email and pledged to amend its spam policy and educate its sales force. [CNET.com]
The House of Representatives today passed the first bill that will hold email marketers accountable for the influx of bulk unsolicited email, commonly known as "spam." [CNET.com]
Complaints about unsolicited commercial email have prompted an industry coalition to come up with standards designed to quell consumer concerns and keep regulators at bay. [CNET.com]
Home furnishing retailer IKEA has a new spin on spam, recruiting friends of friends to get the word out about its new store opening in the San Francisco Bay area. [CNET.com]
AT&T acknowledged Thursday that it had violated its own spam policy by providing Web-hosting services to a purported sender of unsolicited commercial email. [CNET.com]