AOL wins €7m in 'spam' damages

America Online has won €7m in damages from a “spam ring” that bombarded AOL members with junk e-mail advertising adult Websites.

“This sends a message to both members and spammers that we take spam seriously,” an AOL spokesman said at the court in Alexandria, Virginia.

AOL and other larger Internet service providers routinely take spammers to court and win hefty judgements, often because defendants fail to show up.

But the service providers often are unable to collect damages, and injunctions against specific spammers generally have little effect in stopping the flood of junk e-mail.