Microsoft wins cash from spammer

SOFTWARE GIANT Microsoft has successfully sued a spammer for £45,000 in what is believed to be the largest civil award in such a case in Europe.

Paul Fox, sent out spam to attract punters to his porn site. Microsoft sued him for breeching the terms and conditions of its Hotmail free email service.

Despite the success of the case, it goes to show how badly the British legal system is at dealing with Spam cases. Vole had to do the thing in a Civil Court rather than getting Inspector Knacker of the Yard to slap the cuffs on.

In the UK, the Information Commissioner can only deal with spam originating in the Great Britain. This limits the actions he can take. Even if he does take someone to court, the worst that can happen is that a spammer can face a maximum fine of £5,000.

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