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>>Seriously, how long until Harmel (or whatever their name is) decides to go after various
>>net companies, suing that the word Spam is a trademark?

see here for hormel's official position

they just want the SPAM v. spam distinction to be clear

Using the SPAM can as the topic icon goes against Hormel Foods', the makers of SPAM, requests that their product not be used in conjunction with unsolicited commerical email. (Full statement on their webpage along with the story of why UCE is called "spam.")

Anyway, I'd like to suggest a new icon for this topic, since the current icon really should be changed. My suggestion is to create an image of three Vikings with the words "spam spam spam" over their heads. It would invoke the original "spam" meaning, which is what the spam topic is truly about, without violating Hormel Foods' quite reasonable request that their product image not be used in conjunction with UCE.

Nonetheless, despite all their assurances, SPAM.com will still spam you.

From their "privacy policy":
Hormel Foods collects personal identifying information only when guests knowingly provide such information along with submissions of information you make, or with ordering information for merchandise or to sign up for the SPAM Fan Club. Such information will only be used for internal purposes or to provide further information regarding our product and related activities (i.e., promotions, offers, etc.).

Information provided will only be used for internal Company purposes such as marketing and promotional purposes and will not be shared with any third parties other than those contractually obligated to perform services for Hormel Foods and which are legally bound to keep that information confidential. We do not sell, rent, loan, trade or otherwise disclose your personal identifying information to any other third parties unless release of the information is required by law or governmental investigations or proceedings.

We do not object to use of this slang term to describe UCE, although we do object 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.

A brief search on google revealed the following (admittedly old) link about spam and email. I'm curious whether the reasoning would apply to the present case.

I'm surprised they said that. Here's what Hormel has to say now about SPAM and UCE.

In summary, they don't mind people using the word, "spam" when talking about UCE, but not "SPAM" (distinguishing all-caps as their product name). They also (fairly, I think) don't like their product associated with UCE (for example, slashdot's use of a can of SPAM for the UCE topic).

Am I the only one who thinks that filling the envelopes full of SPAM
(not to be confused with electronic spam) would be extremely funny?

Sure, a little smelly maybe, but...

Seriously, what on earth do you mean when you say Unix?

UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. (The official legal form of trademarks is in all caps, no matter what ESR's Jargon File says.)

What this means is that an operating system is a UNIX® system if

• the system conforms to a version of the Single UNIX Specification, and
• the publisher is willing to jack up the prices to pay TOG royalties per unit for the UNIX trademark. These run into five or six figures annually, making the trademark program available only to large corporations.

We do not object to use of this slang term to describe UCE, although we do object 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.

We do not object to use of this slang term to describe
UCE, although we do object 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.

I suppose with the demise of UUCP mail (cue for someone with a ! in their email address to pipe up), and the increased connectivity of the internet, no-one really needs to relay email any more. I still think it's sad that this has to be done. After all, no-one is complaining that having open mailboxes outside every post office is a security problem, yet this is the exact real-world analogy (allowing for differences in sender-pays versus recipient-pays).

I think the sympathies here on /. are clear cut. If the guy had hacked in and left the sysadmin a note how he did it, he should walk away. But because he was using the machine for spam (not to be confused with SPAM) he should be hanged, drawn & quartered. And that's only because we're feeling nice. It's the difference between finding a back of US mail & returning it to the Post Office, or filling it with postage-due credit card scams.

We do not object to use of this slang term to describe UCE, although we do object 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.

We do not object to use of [SPAM] to describe [unsolicited commercial e-mail], although we do object 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.

(emphasis mine)

it seems that Slashdot ought to have a new spam icon. See http://www.spam.com for more info.



---
Santa Claus: "Ho ho ho!"

We do not object to use of [SPAM] to describe [unsolicited commercial e-mail], although we do object 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.

(emphasis mine)

it seems that Slashdot ought to have a new spam icon. See http://www.spam.com for more info.



---
Santa Claus: "Ho ho ho!"

WITH SPAM!!!

Good stuff at $1.79 for a 7oz can.

Few foods are as versatile as SPAM Luncheon Meat.

SPAM Luncheon Meat is a Hormel product. Here's Hormel's official position of use of the term "spam" to refer to unsolicited bulk mail.
<O
( \
XGNOME vs. KDE: the game!

SPAM Luncheon Meat is a Hormel product. Here's Hormel's official position of use of the term "spam" to refer to unsolicited bulk mail.
<O
( \
XGNOME vs. KDE: the game!

--

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Maybe we need a new moderator tag, Commercial SPAM.

I've seen this s#t in other gro^H^H^Hdiscussions. But don't call it SPAM; it might be confused with luncheon meat. Call it spam.

There's a small problem with the picture used to depict "spam", as in junk e-mail and the like. It depicts a can of SPAM luncheon meat , which is a registered trademark of Hormel foods.

Hormel's position on this matter is best expressed by the following quotation from their "Spam and the Internet" page:

We do not object to use of [the word "spam"] to describe UCE, although we do object to the use of our product image in association with that term.

This means Hormel don't like pictures of cans of their SPAM luncheon meat used in conjunction with junk e-mail and the like.

I suggest that the logo for "spam" be changed for those legal reasons. Perhaps we could change it to the picture of a pig from O'Reilly's book "Stopping Spam", or some similar porcine picture that's suggestive of "spam".

There's a small problem with the picture used to depict "spam", as in junk e-mail and the like. It depicts a can of SPAM luncheon meat , which is a registered trademark of Hormel foods.

Hormel's position on this matter is best expressed by the following quotation from their "Spam and the Internet" page:

We do not object to use of [the word "spam"] to describe UCE, although we do object to the use of our product image in association with that term.

This means Hormel don't like pictures of cans of their SPAM luncheon meat used in conjunction with junk e-mail and the like.

I suggest that the logo for "spam" be changed for those legal reasons. Perhaps we could change it to the picture of a pig from O'Reilly's book "Stopping Spam", or some similar porcine picture that's suggestive of "spam".

Here's a better refinement of the "fake e-mail address" idea I mentioned earlier.

Instead of filling the spam lists with random "chaff" addresses, use this method to put "canary" e-mail addresses on to the spam lists instead. "Canary" e-mail addresses are designed to catch spams, and serve only to receive spam. Automated software attached to the "canary" can then filter spam based on what the "canary" receives. The canary idea is not new, of course.

A more evil idea would be to attach to the address of the "canary" some software (similar to that found on the web site spamcop.net) that traces the e-mail back to the spammer by examining the "Received:" headers. If done in real-time, one could potentially alert an ISP to a spammer's activity in time for them to disconnect a spammer while they were still sending spam.

The best part is that we use the spammers' own resources (collections of e-mail addresses) to fight spam.

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The only SPAM I like: www.spam.com (The home page of the canned meat)