One Man’s Victory Over Spam

A UK businessman found unwanted messages in his inbox, so he turned to a European Union law that permits claiming damages from the spammers in court.

Media Logistics UK will fork over 300 (about $520) to Nigel Roberts to settle a spamming claim, the BBC said. Roberts took action after finding unwanted messages for fax broadcasting and car rentals in his inbox.

A three-year-old anti-spam law passed by the EU made this small victory over spammers possible. Roberts said in the report he kept the claim at 300 to qualify it as a small claim. Media Logistics UK will pay 30 for court costs plus 270 in damages as part of an out-of-court settlement.

This may be the first time anyone in the UK has used this law to file and collect damages under the legislation. The BBC quoted a spokesman from the Information Commissioner’s Office, which oversees the law Roberts used, as saying he hadn’t heard of anyone else filing a case like this.

Legislation in the United States, known as the CAN-SPAM act, merely requires spammers to provide an address and an opt-out link in their messages. AOL has had some success against US-based spammers in suing them and being able to seize assets to settle claims of damages.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.