News Anti-Spam Suit Dismissed; AOL May Re-File

"A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by AOL against a group of Florida computer technicians that the leading Internet provider charged with helping deliver spam e-mails, lawyers for the technicians said on Tuesday.

Judge Claude Hilton of the U.S. District Court in eastern Virginia dismissed the lawsuit on Dec. 24, Albo & Oblon, the firm representing the defendants, said in a statement.

Hilton ruled that Virginia courts did not have jurisdiction over the Florida-based defendants, even though AOL, a unit of Time Warner Inc., does business in Virginia and the unwanted e-mails were directed there, lawyers for the alleged spammers said.

But AOL said the ruling left open the prospect that it could either resubmit its lawsuit -- first filed in April -- with additional information in Virginia or file suit in Florida if necessary."

Full story from Reuters: here

Another land-mark failure in the anti-spam witch-hunt.