Juno files $5 million spam suit
The free email service is the latest in a string of providers to use a lawsuit to crack down on junk emailers.
Juno today announced that it filed a federal lawsuit against five organizations that it alleges used Juno's name as a return address in their email headers.
The practice, known as forgery, is a common ploy among junk emailers. They use it to avoid detection and to prevent their own Internet service providers' systems from being clogged by returned email.
Many companies, including CompuServe and Prodigy, early victims of the practice, have successfully sued spammers in court on grounds that the practice amounts to trademark infringement.
But, Ardai stressed, the suit isn't just about money.
"This is not really about spam," he added. "Everyone hates spam. I loathe spam personally. [But] this is about forgery. This is about taking someone else's name and hiding behind it. No one would dream of taking Condé Nast's name and putting it in the left corner of the envelope to send junk mail and not get in trouble for it. They shouldn't get away with it on the Internet, either."