MySpace wins $6m judgment against Spam King
Junk mail menace canned
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Self-styled former spam king Scott Richter has been ordered to pay MySpace $6m over allegations he blitzed users of the social networking website with junk mail messages sent from hijacked accounts.
An arbitrator decided that Richter and his Colarado-based Web marketing outfit, Media Breakaway, must turn over a $4.8m fine and $1.2m in legal fees to the social networking site. In addition, Media Breakaway staffers were banned from visiting the site again, AP reports.
In a statement, Media Breakaway blamed the offending behaviour on rogue affiliates. Steven Richter, president of Media Breakaway and Scott's dad, took satisfaction that the amount awarded by arbitrators was just 5 per cent of the sum demanded by MySpace.
The ruling is the latest obtained by MySpace against alleged spammers and pales into insignificance compared to the $230m it was awarded against junk mailers Sanford Wallace and Walter Rines last month.
Richter is no stranger to big fines and other legal actions over his alleged spamming activities. In 2006 he paid Microsoft $7m to settle a spam lawsuit. The state of New York received $50,000 from Richter in 2004. He was prevented from launching a line of clothing under the Spam King brand by a lawsuit from Hormel, the firm behind the meaty snack, in 2004. ®
COMMENTS
Too good for him?
Yeah, it looks like a few fines for him are just the cost of doing business. Proof of this is that spammers are successful. What needs to be done is to make them all unsuccessful.
Method? Some suggest a firing squad. Works for a while until the wily spammers find a way to go underground and hide from the Law. Really the right way is to make the email system work so that they can't be successful.
As for making fines big to force them into bankruptcy, that's the problem. They go bankrupt and then pop up as some other spammer company soon afterwards, and the plaintiff gets nothing but the satisfaction of winning.
Paris because everyone else seems to pick her.
But on the other hand...
With this win, will MySpace meet their wallstreet numbers now?
He's paid out $13M+ in just over 2 years..
I'll be lucky if I earn that amount before I die.
Paris, 'cos she might give it to me.
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