From: "Timothy C. May" <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 11:27:15 -0700 (PDT)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Fuck Cyberpromo
In-Reply-To: <v03007801ae85b0546a74@[206.119.69.46]>
Message-ID: <v03007800ae88444f9194@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain




>I'm already doing that.  I began with the very first one I received, and
>instructed him to block all mail to my two domains.  After 3, I began
>invoicing Mr. Wallace $25 per message.  His bill is up to $100 right
>now.  I expect it will go higher (although the snail mail copy _might_
>get more attention than the email).
>
>Anyone on the list know of a good, heavy-handed collection agency that
>would like to take this when it tops, say, $500?

What contract do you have with savetrees.com that allows you to invoice
them? Do you have a Purchase Order number?

While I certainly am equally annoyed with their crap, I am also annoyed by
all sorts of "unwanted mail" I receive. Including unwanted _physical_ mail.

The "junk fax" law was carefully crafted to cover only continuing,
persistent, and extensive abuse of fax machines....and I'm not even sure it
would stand up in court (lawyers may have a clearer idea). Certainly it is
essentially impossible for me to, upon receiving a fax I "did not ask for,"
to successfully collect on an invoice for, say, $100 (my "fee"). I would
guess, from what I've read about the "junk fax" law, that it might be
useful in a case of persistent, extensive "fax bombing." But probably
useless for small, intermittent messages.

And it is not written to cover e-mail, of course.

Also, there's the risk of a _countersuit_ if an "official-looking" invoice
is sent to a company. Why? Turns out that a scam that is spreading is the
invoicing of companies for supplies and services never actually
provided....many companies are so chaotic and disorganized that they'll pay
invoices submitted to them. When they eventually determine they were paying
for such invoices, they often take the matter to the local fraud folks.

Until "junk e-mail" laws are passed (not that I support them, by the way),
not much can be done.

A precedent-setting case would of course cost a lot of money to follow
through on.

--Tim May

"The government announcement is disastrous," said Jim Bidzos,.."We warned IBM
that the National Security Agency would try to twist their technology."
[NYT, 1996-10-02]
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1,257,787-1 | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."