Dan really, really hates spammers

[Farelf]

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=12479955

Daniel Balsam hates spam. Most everybody does, of course. But he has acted on his hate as few have, going far beyond simply hitting the delete button. He sues them.

Eight years ago, Balsam was working as a marketer when he received one too many e-mail pitches to enlarge his breasts. ...

A familiar enough story but Dan Balsom didn't simply get mad. He set up a website and studied law. I guess the apparently outrageous "NO spam POLICY" on his website actually works - or it does in California at least -

All persons, businesses, and other entities that send any unsolicited commercial email to any email address containing "danbalsam.com" voluntarily enter a contract with Dan Balsam and agree to be bound by the terms of the contract and "No spam Policy" as described herein. ...

- one of the "herein"s thereunder being a $25,000.00 fee for reading and responding appropriately to (each and any) unsolicited commercial email - and with numerous successful actions in the Californian Small Claims Court to support the seriousness of the asserted charge on the sender or their more accessible affiliates those are not mere words of bluff, that is an enforceable contract.

Thin, high voices of spammerly protest might be heard, whining that Balsom unfairly exploits society's (and the Court's) disdain for spammers. Seems that sometimes injustice is the higher justice, if unfair it be - Lord knows there enough cases in the jurisdictions governed by "due process" to the contrary, cases where those perpetrators of felony who are patently in urgent need of chastisement instead avoid such righteous judgement in order for society to preserve some precious principle of abstract justice. Society's rectitude is laudable ... but the process is then fundamentally unsatisfying for the victims and unjust to them. No, I suspect we can live with a little unfairness if the burden of it is to be on the perpetrators (a silly and dangerous way to feel, but darn, it feels GOOD nonetheless).

[rconner]

Hmm, wonder whether he ever collects (or even manages to reach) Yambo, RBN, et. al.?

-- rick

[turetzsr]

<snip>

Thin, high voices of spammerly protest might be heard, whining that Balsom unfairly exploits society's (and the Court's) disdain for spammers.

<snip>

...*snigger* Reminds me of the quintessential example of the Yiddish word "chutzpah (חוצפּה)" -- the child perpetrator of parricide who demanded leniency from the court on the grounds that he was an orphan. <g>

[Lking]

Hmm, wonder whether he ever collects (or even manages to reach) Yambo, RBN, et. al.?

According to the Washington Post he's making a living at it. Lots of thousand(s) dollar small clams court cases.