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Verizon Wins Injunction Against Text Spammer

Posted by Zonk on from the seek-another-line-of-business dept.

bulled writes "CNet is running a story illustrating the US court system's ongoing harsh opinion about unwarranted communications of any kind. Verizon Wireless recently won a lawsuit against a company that was delivering massive numbers of spam text messages to its customers. Specialized Programming and Marketing and Henderson was ordered to pay more than $200,000 in damages to Verizon Wireless, some two years after Verizon filed the suit against the company. In 2005 Specialized Programming sent some 100,000 emails to Verizon phones. Verizon now has an injunction against the Marketing firm, another win for a company that has developed a reputation for going after spammers."

9 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. what about the customers? by DJCacophony · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Thanks for stopping the spam, Verizon, but are you going to keep all those damages for yourself?

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    1. Re:what about the customers? by Jhon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yeah... that makes sense. However, is that cash in hand? Or would they be justified in keeping it as "damanges" for needing to address user complains/credits? I know two customers who spent time on the phone on more than one occation to get SMS credit due to spam. They got their money back, but Verizon spent "time/money" addressing/fixing their customer's problem.

      How much time/effort needs to be put in to determining who gets what?

  2. Seriously by Stokey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Specialised Programming and Marketing and Henderson

    SPaMaH!

    Surely that's too good to be true!

    --
    Natsu gusa-ya, Tsuwamono domo-ga, Yume no ato
  3. Unfortunately by Filip22012005 · · Score: 5, Funny

    $200,000 verizon dollars is only $2,000 US dollars...

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    When the policeman of the tie, rule you violate, hello punishment of the kitty?
  4. Sprint sends me SMS advertisements every day by gelfling · · Score: 4, Interesting

    About one in 10 SMS messages I get are from Sprint (I'm a Sprint customer) advertising a service, ringtone or some other downloadable. So excuse me while I don't feel Verizon's pain.

  5. Letter by slapout · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dear Verizon,

        Can you please sue my carrier, Cingular*, for all the text messages they send me?

    Thanks

    * Cingular is soon to be part of AT&T, not the AT&T we all remember, but the new AT&T that was SBC until they renamed themselves AT&T after they bought what was left of AT&T after they ran themselves into the ground. Not to be confused with AT&T wireless, that was sold off to Cingular and them merged in with them.

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    Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
    1. Re:Letter by daeg · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I hate the spam I get from Cingular. I've called several times about it, replied back with "STOP" like they tell me to, all to no avail.

      Cingular even refuses to turn my text messaging off (I never use it, I hate text messages).

    2. Re:Letter by bendodge · · Score: 3, Informative

      According to the Federal Government, you are not required to give your SSN to anyone but the Federal Government (think IRS) and your employer.

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      The government can't save you.
  6. The 10 Worst Spam Service ISPs by mopflite · · Score: 3, Informative

    Guess which ISP is ranked as the world's worst by The Spamhaus Project, in terms of "the few networks who, out of corporate greed or mismanagement, choose to be part of the problem"?

    http://www.spamhaus.org/statistics/networks.lasso
    http://www.spamhaus.org/sbl/listings.lasso?isp=ver izon.com

    Before rushing to praise Verizon, consider that Verizon are knowingly and unrepentently hosting more of the world's hardcore spam operations than any other network, anywhere in the world.