Published: Saturday October 24, 2009 (TheStar.com)
Spammers fined massive RM49.14mil
MELBOURNE: Two companies and three individuals have been hit with penalties totalling A$15.75mil (RM49.14mil) for contravening the Spam Act, the first court action taken against unsolicited SMS messages.
The fines were handed down in the Federal Court in Brisbane on Friday.
Mobilegate Ltd and Winning Bid Pty Ltd were found to have contravened the Spam Act and the Trade Practices Act 1974 in August 2009, the Australian Associated Press reports.
Three individuals former Winning Bid director Simon Anthony Owen, current Mobilegate director Tarek Andreas Salcedo and Winning Bid employee Glenn Christopher Maughan were also found responsible for the breaches.
The case was the first court action taken by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) against unsolicited SMS messages.
ACMA acting chairman Chris Cheah said it was a significant outcome for all mobile phone users.
"The maximum penalties provided for under the Spam Act are very high," he said.
"The substantial penalties imposed by the court in this case show that spam will not be tolerated in Australia." - Bernama
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