California Attorney General Bill Lockyer claimed victory in the state’s first antispam lawsuit late last week, after a court ordered PW Marketing and its owners to pay a US$2 million fine for violating California laws against sending unsolicited commercial e-mail.
In addition to the $2 million fine, the company and its owners were prohibited from sending any unsolicited commercial e-mail, disguising their identity by sending e-mail that appears to originate from an e-mail address that is not their own and accessing and using computers and computer systems of persons without their permission.
They were also barred for 10 years from owning, managing and holding any economic interest in any company that advertises over the Internet without first providing written notice to the attorney general.
Representatives for PW Marketing were not available to comment on the Santa Clara County Superior Court verdict Monday.