Microsoft sues more alleged spammers

Microsoft has filed seven lawsuits against senders of bulk e-mail for failing to label sexually explicit messages as required by the federal Can-Spam Act, the company said Thursday.

The lawsuits, filed in Washington State Superior Court in King County, allege that the defendants violated Can-Spam's "brown paper wrapper" requirement, which calls for labeling sexually oriented content as "Sexually-Explicit" in the e-mail subject header and in areas where the e-mail can be initially viewed.

"Sexually explicit materials and publications for sale in stores are required by law to be covered from view with a brown paper wrapper, and it's important that consumers are protected online in the same way," Nancy Anderson, Microsoft deputy general counsel, said in a statement.

The lawsuits also allege that the defendants, who have yet to be named, violated Washington state laws and provisions of Can-Spam that prohibit the use of zombie PCs--computers being controlled without the PC owners' knowledge--to route spam e-mail messages. Microsoft's suits also allege that the defendants failed to offer unsubscribe options and working return addresses.

Last month, Microsoft filed a lawsuit against a spammer who was allegedly promoting sexually explicit Korean-language Web sites. In all, the software giant has taken more than 100 legal actions against alleged spammers worldwide.

Microsoft and a number of other Internet companies have been aggressively pursuing spammers. Microsoft, America Online, Yahoo and EarthLink, which together make up the Anti-Spam Alliance, filed a round of lawsuits in October against people who allegedly violated the Can-Spam Act.

The Anti-Spam Alliance also took legal action in March, in the industry's first major round of lawsuits against alleged spammers under the Can-Spam Act. The law took effect Jan. 1.

[katamari]

Not enough information.

Seven spammers? Please list names, and provide photos of all of them.

Thank you.

please also provide...

... all phone numbers, all email addresses, and all physical addresses of the individuals. :D

[Earl Benser]

I'm no fan of MS, but...

... this is one case where I hope MS really succeeds. Anything
that can shut down spammers needs to be pursued. And once
they are caught, boiling in oil would not be an inappropriate
punishment.

[George Cole]

shut down spammers

http://www.analogstereo.com/jaguar_s-type_owners_manual.htm

[Johnny Mnemonic]

Yes but...

Why not pursue the companies or individuals that
are advertising in the spam? It occurs to me that
if those which make spam a lucrative undertaking
are taken out of the picture, at least 80-90% of
the unsolicited emails out there would disappear.
It would attacking the source instead of the symptom.
Very much like attacking Saudi Arabia instead of Iraq.