'Spam gang' leader gets $15m fine (by US Court)

[demoleft]

Source: bbc

The mastermind of a "vast international spam network" has been ordered to pay a fine of $15m (£10m) by US courts.

New Zealander Lance Atkinson and his US accomplice Jody Smith sent billions of illegal e-mails marketing prescription drugs and and weight-loss pills.

US authorities claimed the gang - known as HerbalKing - "deceptively marketed" the drugs on the internet.

Three companies affiliated with Mr Smith are liable for a further $4m, following the case.


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8388737.stm

[mbperrin]

1. Or they could just let those us who get the damned spam hit him in the

stomach once for each spam we got!

Just an idea....

[Kelvin Mace]

6. It should be legal to hunt these people down

and slap the shit out of them.

[Tejas]

2. So what happens to that $15m ? - nt

[Ian David]

3. George W. Bush set-back anti-spam efforts 10 years with his CAN-SPAM act.

He took away the power of anyone except the huge, multinational corporations to sue the spammers, most of whom were already in bed with the spam-havens that were hosting the spammers in the first place.

Before CAN-SPAM, you or I could go to our local courthouse, as individuals or as representatives of our company, and sue the bastards. Bush took that right away from us all. Unless you're Yahoo, AOL or Comcast, you have no recourse.

CAN-SPAM should have been challenged in the US Supreme Court by now.

[katkat]

4. so what does this actually mean?

Is this fine more than the money they made? Are they actually going to have to pay the fine? Better yet, will they actually have to spend time in jail?

(I know the article says so, I'm just asking because I think I read some moby fine of a spammer had been voided on appeal.)

[zeemike]

5. They never take more than half of what white collar crime makes.

And no jail time because they just made bad business decisions...

[Harry Monroe]

7. I am especially pissed off at those spam messages that say "If you want a bigger penis, click here!"

Well, I keep clicking, and clicking and clicking and so far, nothing!!

[Raster]

9. Elongate your mortgage or refinance your penis....

...the choice is yours!

[Raster]

8. I prefer the Russian approach!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/26/russian_spammer_killed/

Notorious Russian spammer Vardan Kushnir was found bludgeoned to death in his Moscow apartment on Sunday. He was killed by repeated blows to the head, Russian news agency Interfax reports.

Kushnir, 35, headed the Center for American English, whose aggressive spamming practices have angered net users. In the past the Center’s telephone was advertised as a contact number for "cheap sex services". Separately, disgruntled surfers have blitzed the American English Center with nuisance phone calls and returned e,mail messages. Lawmakers are considering the introduction of anti-spam laws but the practice remains legal in Russia and Kushnir remained defiant about his "right to spam".

The public prosecutions office of Moscow's Central administrative district has yet to establish a motive for Kushnir's death, but is treating the case as murder.

[tanyev]

10. His Nigerian bank will be sending that $15million to the court any day now.