Spam King to Pay Microsoft 7 Million Dollars

Really? A Microsoft victory worth applauding? Now that is indeed something rare. Could this be the exception to the rule? It might be as best. The reason? Microsoft has won a legal battle with Scott Richter, the "Spam King", and his OptInRealBig.com Company based in Colorado.

"People engage in spam to make money," Brad Smith, Microsoft's chief counsel, told the Associated Press. "We have now proven that we can take one of the most profitable spammers in the world and separate him from his money. And I think that sends a powerful message to other people who might be tempted to engage in illegal spam."

A legal battle following which the Spam King will have to pay Microsoft no less than 7 million dollars. The Redmond Company has already revealed that it will donate $1million of the settlement to a New York program designed to help with equipping community centers with computers while another $5 million will find their way to support additional anti-spam efforts.

The Spam King, via OptInRealBig.com, was generating some 38 billion spam messages per year. Now, the $7 million that the New York attorney general, Eliot Spitzer and Microsoft got from the accused seem disproportionate to the size of the crime.