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SPAM and the Internet

You've probably seen, heard or even used the term "spamming" to refer to the act of sending unsolicited commercial email (UCE), or "spam" to refer to the UCE itself. Following is our position on the relationship between UCE and our trademark SPAM.

Use of the term "spam" was adopted as a result of the Monty Python skit in which our SPAM meat product was featured. In this skit, a group of Vikings sang a chorus of "spam, spam, spam . . . " in an increasing crescendo, drowning out other conversation. Hence, the analogy applied because UCE was drowning out normal discourse on the Internet.

We do not object to use of this slang term to describe UCE, although we do object to the use of the word "spam" as a trademark and to the use of our product image in association with that term. Also, if the term is to be used, it should be used in all lower-case letters to distinguish it from our trademark SPAM, which should be used with all uppercase letters.

This slang term, which generically describes UCE, does not affect the strength of our trademark SPAM. In a Federal District Court case involving the famous trademark STAR WARS owned by Lucasfilm Ltd., the Court ruled that the slang term used to refer to the Strategic Defense Initiative did not weaken the trademark and the Court refused to stop its use as a slang term. Other examples of famous trademarks having a different slang meaning include MICKEY MOUSE, to describe something as unsophisticated and CADILLAC, used to denote something as being high quality. It is only when someone attempts to trademark the word "spam" that we object to such use, in order to protect our rights in our famous trademark SPAM. We coined this term in 1937 and it has become a famous trademark. Thus, we don't appreciate it when someone else tries to make money on the goodwill that we created in our trademark or product image, or takes away from the unique and distinctive nature of our famous trademark SPAM. Let's face it. Today's teens and young adults are more computer savvy than ever, and the next generations will be even more so. Children will be exposed to the slang term "spam" to describe UCE well before being exposed to our famous product SPAM. Ultimately, we are trying to avoid the day when the consuming public asks, "Why would Hormel Foods name its product after junk e-mail?"

Position Statement on "Spamming"

We oppose the act of "spamming" or sending UCE. We have never engaged in this practice, although we have been victimized by it. If you have been one of those who has received UCE with a return address using our website address of SPAM.com, it wasn't us. It's easy and commonplace for somebody sending UCE to simply adopt a fake header ID, which disguises the true source of the UCE and makes it appear that it is coming from someone else. If you have or do receive UCE with this header ID, please understand that it didn't come from us.

Other "spam" Websites

This is the one and only official SPAM Website, brought to you by the makers of the SPAM Family of products. All of the others have been created by somebody else. We are not associated with those other websites and are not responsible for their content. As a Company, we are opposed to content that is obscene, vulgar or otherwise not "family friendly." We support positive family values and you can count on us for "safe surfing" by your children.

Also, from their Legal and Copyright page:

4. Enforceability. If any of the above terms are unlawful, unenforceable, or void, such term(s) will be deemed severable and will not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining terms.

5. Trademark Information. The following trademarks used or which are planned to be used in this site, whether registered or unregistered, are owned by Hormel Foods: SPAM; HORMEL; SPAMBURGER; SPAMTA

(replying to myself)

Quick Google search found Hormel's "SPAM and the Internet" page.

In Soviet Russia, SPAM E-Mail YOU!!

I just about spewed my lunch across my lovely dual monitors

Was your lunch made with SPAM(TM) by any chance? :)

You could sign him up for the Spam Fan Club.

100% of Spam comes from the USA! SPAM is a registered trademark of Hormel Foods Corporation based in Austin, Minnesota!

this is food?!

The Hormel meat product trademark is "SPAM" (all-caps). See here: SPAM and the Internet

I'm pink, therefore I'm SPAM.

Also, if the term is to be used, it should be used in all lower-case letters to distinguish it from our trademark SPAM, which should be used with all uppercase letters.

Play iCLOD Virtual City Explorer and win Half-Life 2

Put spam in your actual sig rather than pasting it in the bottom of your post and avoid pissing off people who turn sig display off to avoid reading spam.

Easy solution then. The punishment for spammer/scammers/phishers is now a fine up to but not to exceed $250,000 followed by execution, the manner of which shall be being force-fed Spam until their gut explodes.

Sounds fitting to me!

RTFWS.

We do not object to use of this slang term to describe UCE, although we do object to the use of the word "spam" as a trademark and to the use of our product image in association with that term. Also, if the term is to be used, it should be used in all lower-case letters to distinguish it from our trademark SPAM, which should be used with all uppercase letters.

Mmmkay?

DE@R LUSER

IAAM A PR1INCE WIS!TH SHAREZ| IN SPAM LtD. DIS SPAM IS G00D U SHULD BY IT N0w!

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

SPAM product tuna sPAm spam Meat food veg drink pork beef google smap mail hormel tins market ham

DE@R LUSER

IAAM A PR1INCE WIS!TH SHAREZ| IN SPAM LtD. DIS SPAM IS G00D U SHULD BY IT N0w!

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

SPAM product tuna sPAm spam Meat food veg drink pork beef google smap mail hormel tins market ham

DE@R LUSER

IAAM A PR1INCE WIS!TH SHAREZ| IN SPAM LtD. DIS SPAM IS G00D U SHULD BY IT N0w!

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

SPAM product tuna sPAm spam Meat food veg drink pork beef google smap mail hormel tins market ham

DE@R LUSER

IAAM A PR1INCE WIS!TH SHAREZ| IN SPAM LtD. DIS SPAM IS G00D U SHULD BY IT N0w!

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

SPAM product tuna sPAm spam Meat food veg drink pork beef google smap mail hormel tins market ham

DE@R LUSER

IAAM A PR1INCE WIS!TH SHAREZ| IN SPAM LtD. DIS SPAM IS G00D U SHULD BY IT N0w!

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

SPAM product tuna sPAm spam Meat food veg drink pork beef google smap mail hormel tins market ham

DE@R LUSER

IAAM A PR1INCE WIS!TH SHAREZ| IN SPAM LtD. DIS SPAM IS G00D U SHULD BY IT N0w!

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

http://www.spam.com/

SPAM product tuna sPAm spam Meat food veg drink pork beef google smap mail hormel tins market ham

If "children will be exposed to .. spam .. well before being exposed to .. SPAM", why is the campaign "aimed at the over-45s"?

See also SPAM and the Internet for their take on UCE.

Hornel's page on their SPAM trademark reads very humorously to the Netizen's eye. I recommend it.

OT: I fancy marketing a delicious processed meat called SLASHDOT.

/joelethan

See also SPAM and the Internet for their take on UCE.

Hornel's page on their SPAM trademark reads very humorously to the Netizen's eye. I recommend it.

OT: I fancy marketing a delicious processed meat called SLASHDOT.

/joelethan

The folks at Hormel have asked that people spell the name correctly when referring to their meat product - in all capital letters, i.e. SPAM.

See their Legal and Copyright Info page.

Hmm that sounds unhealthy, but sacrifice in the name of research can't be that bad can it? I've been doing an experiment to see just exactly how much people hate spa m!(even the spam website is awful). Turns out they're willing to gut you like a fish, beat you sensely, or perform any number of acts of excrutiatingly painful torture. Conclusion: people much prefer the taste of actual products, rrather than the byproducts of the products.

• When somebody talked about SPAM, they meant the food.
• When a Mouse was a little furry rodent
• When Hardware meant hammers, nails, etc.
• When RAM meant to butt into something.
• When Monitor meant to watch someone closely.
• When Desktops were made out of mahogany.
• When Wallpaper went on walls.
• When Icons where people you looked up to.
• When Pointers were a dog breed.
• When Buttons went on your shirt.
• When a Register was something a store kept money in.
• When a BUG meant an insect.

In case any of you were wondering where the widely applied term "spam" came from here's an informative link

This link gives Hormel's position on the use of the term "spam" and the history behind it.

There's a nice explanation of SPAM and the Internet on the Official SPAM Home Page.

There's a nice explanation of SPAM and the Internet on the Official SPAM Home Page.

... anti-SPAM ...

Summary: SPAM is canned meat; spam is unsolicited bulk email.

Cue the Vikings.

Any word on whether Trey Anastacio & Co. have planned a lawsuit similar to that of a certain processed meat company for this eggregious misuse of their product name? :)

(I think it's representative of the proclivities of the slashdot readership that it hasn't posted a dumb joke like this in the three hours that this story's been up. Or maybe it's just not funny...)

no sooner said than done ! http://www.spam.com/

IIALP allows for an infinite number of different types of annoyances to exist but has concise templates for common annoyances such as SPAM.

Sponsored by spam.

Seriously, I wonder if this might hurt the company's meaty feelings.

That means they don't get to drop something just because they don't like it (as ISP's routinely do with SPAM and such).

Geeze, the one spelling (all-caps) that Hormel has reserved for itself, and you insist on using it inappropriately! Get it straight! Unsolicited commercial email and the like may be spam or Spam or even sP4m, but is never SPAM! SPAM is the trademark for a tinned meat product. ISPs don't routinely do anything with SPAM, but they may routinely filter or block spam.

I agree. Here in MN, the hog farmers are having community-relation problems from the aromas produced by their waste pools. You'd think there'd be a huge market for the methane collection systems. Plus the Hormel guys certainly produce enough waste to fire up a crude-oil production facility.

You are referring of course to "SPAM®" the registered trademark. Although, instructions for use of the mark are not on the site as you suggest.

They are found here:

Proper Trademark Use Guidelines.

Please Do:

Always put the trademark SPAM in all capital letters. Follow SPAM with "Luncheon Meat" or other descriptor. Remember, a trademark is a formal adjective and as such, should always be followed by a noun.

Not to mention the industrial, chemical and biological pollution caused by spontaneous post-crash combustion of scores of these containers packaging freshly deceased would-be amateur pilots. I'm not sure the ecological effects of dumping and incinerating tons of such canned meat product are well known, especially if the meat is human and the dumping is done over inhabitated areas.

Here's Hormel's policy on the use of the word "spam" to describe uce and the like. You're not supposed to use it in all caps, but other than that, they generally don't mind. Refreshing -- got to hand it to them...

Not all types of SPAM are made out of pork. See:
http://www.spam.com/sp/sp_ort.htm

If you're going to be picky then state your problem correctly. SPAM the food, is all uppercase, and owned by Hormel.

There's nothing worse than a whiner who can't get their facts straight.

I've never seen sexually explicit SPAM*. Sexually explicit spam? Sure.

"SPAM" is a tasty processed-meat product composed of cholesterol, saturated fat, salt, and water (read the label). Spam is unsolicited bulk e-mail.

So when an e-mail says "This message is not SPAM", it it technically correct.

* Insert crude remark here about "porking".

SPAM is a trademark for luncheon meat. Hormel requests that unsolicited commercial e-mail be referred to as spam, not SPAM. Since they are nice enough not to sue everyone's asses for diluting their trademark, I think the least we can do is comply with this simple request.

except... SPAM is the meat and protected. Why do you interchange SPAM and spam (curiousity)?

Most people speak of MUDs, not MUDS. (what does the "S" mean? Stupid?)

And it wasn't really spam, it was flooding the usenet groups.

Is your meat not all it's cracked up to be? Need more meat in less time? Can't afford drugs that improve your sex life?

You need to buy V14gra. There is nothing like it in the world. Have Nice Juicy meat in just minutes. No more waiting, no more high prices! Act now and we will throw in a free Key!

Maybe you can get lucky and have the SPAM-mobile visit you? (Free food!)

" offering food in exchange for credit application and other horrible things like spam"
Spam is food, you insensitive clod!
-psy

Hormel's official take on spam versus SPAM

Please do give them the benefit of not associating their product that's trademarked SPAM(tm) - in all caps - with spam - also known as Unsolicited Bulk Email.

We do not object to use of this slang term to describe UCE, although we do object to the use of the word "spam" as a trademark and to the use of our product image in association with that term. Also, if the term is to be used, it should be used in all lower-case letters to distinguish it from our trademark SPAM, which should be used with all uppercase letters.

SPAM never lies. SPAM is dead meat. spam lies.
SPAM != spam