Firm 'swamped' with e-mail sues on-line advertising company

Leading US law firm Morrison & Foerster is suing an on-line advertising company for hundreds of thousands of dollars after it was bombarded with thousands of unsolicited e-mail advertisements, known as spams.

It has brought proceedings against a dot.com company, which, Morrisons' says, even after receiving formal notice of the firm's policy against spamming, sent at least 6,500 unsolicited e-mail advertisements.

'We are a business that lives on e-mail now, so it is very important that we make the tool as productive as possible,' said Michael Jacobs, who is handling the case for the firm.

'This spam coupled with other spams is a big problem.'

Morrison & Foerster has asked the court in California to enjoin Etracks from sending further unsolicited e-mail advertisements to the firm.

It is also seeking other relief, including attorneys' fees and statutorily authorised damages of $50 for each e-mail delivered in violation of the law, up to $25,000 per day.