$2 Million Fine For SPAM Sender

A company accused of clogging computers with unsolicited SPAM is being hit with a $2 million fine. State prosecutors say PW Marketing violated the state´s 1998 anti-spam law by sending unsolicited e-mail without a toll-free number for recipients to call to block their Internet addresses.

The company, based in Canyon Country, does not have a Web site and has been accused of operating under fictitious names and sending millions of illegal e-mails advertising tools for spamming.

A judge in Santa Clara County imposed the fine, and also banned PW Marketing´s owners from managing or investing in any company that advertises over the Internet without first notifying the state attorney general. Attorney General Bill Lockyer warned that the decision foreshadows future crackdowns on bulk e-mail.