Should This Be LART'ed?

I received the following message:

http://www.spamcop.net/sc?id=z1702680042zffdf45fc0e5b5c013480146aacaf45e7z

It advertises a company named VirtualLogix.  I consider this message to be 
spam, because:

1) It was sent to an address that I never use when signing up for web-sites. 
(Whenever I sign up on a web-site, I create an email alias address, which is 
then only used on that site).  This email address has been used only for 
communications with my clients.

2) To my knowledge, I have no business relationship with either the company 
advertised in this message (VirtualLogix) or the company that sent the 
message (Vertical Response).

3) I never received or responded to a positive opt-in confirmation that I 
wanted to be included in this "mailing list".

So, I reported this message through SPAMCOP Quick Reporting, thus notifying 
only the origin of the message.

Next, I looked up the registrars and hosting companies for VirtualLogix, and 
Vertical Response.  I found that most of those providers had very clear and 
definite anti-spam policies that require senders of bulk email to use 
positive confirmed opt-in lists.  They also seem to be legitimate companies, 
not the sort that would normally openly host spammers.  So, I planned to 
send an email addressed to all of the organizations involved, pointing out 
that I had received an email that violates the Terms of Service of thier 
providers.

But, now I have some doubts, due to the "To my knowledge" clause in
point 2, 
above.  VirtualLogix seems to be a legitimate company, and operates in an 
industry that is related to my business.  Could it be that I have some 
business relationship with them, by way of some other company with which I 
have dealt in the past?  (Rhetorical).

Even if I did have an indirect relationship with this company, would it be 
legitimate for them to send me marketing email?  Could they have obtained my 
direct email address through some other means, maybe from one of my clients? 
If they had, would it be legitimate for them to send unsolicited email to 
that address?

So, my question is, given this situation, is it reasonable for me to send a 
message to the hosting companies and registrars of VirtualLogix, accusing 
them of spamming in violation of various Terms of Service?  Could 
VirtualLogix legitimately claim that they were not spamming, due to a
"prior 
business relationship" with me?

Blue Rock wrote:
> I received the following message:
> 
> http://www.spamcop.net/sc?id=z1702680042zffdf45fc0e5b5c013480146aacaf45e7z

[snip]

> So, my question is, given this situation, is it reasonable for me to send a

> message to the hosting companies and registrars of VirtualLogix, accusing 
> them of spamming in violation of various Terms of Service?  Could 
> VirtualLogix legitimately claim that they were not spamming, due to a
"prior 
> business relationship" with me?

Looking at the item, I see that it was sent through VerticalResponse. If 
you Google that name, especially on Usenet (Google Groups), you'll find 
that they're controversial with respect to their practices. However, 
that doesn't mean they spammed you.

There is so much "fine print" in privacy policies these days that when

you do any business anywhere, it takes a lot of effort to know what a 
company will do with your information.

Some people say you shouldn't click the unsubscribe links in spams. But 
maybe with VerticalResponse it will have a good result, if they 

"Blue Rock" <nobody@devnull.spamcop.net> wrote in message 
news:fqsb7o$2jg$1@news.spamcop.net...
all kinds of stuff describing a spam email.

the words boil down to:

It appears to be bulk.

It's commercial.

It's unsolicited, (If some disclaimer about use of your email etc. is buried 
beyond obvious first sight when you describe something the legalese doesn't 
count for spam purposes.)

It's email.

So, it's spam by most accepted definitions of spam, UBE or UCE. Personally I 
don't think all UCE is necessarily spam, I demand some bulkiness.
As it happens UCE that isn't spam is pretty rare, at least for me.

So if you normally report spam, report it.

If you wanna unsubscribe, that's OK too, undoubtedly you'll be listwashed, 
er, unsubscribed.

That decision should rest on whether you'd rather irritate the sender, or 
rather the sender didn't irritate you. Your call.

BTW GlobalX used to be a pretty spammy, source, hosting, and support outfit. 
The Email you received seems to indicate that nothing much has changed AUP 
notwithstanding. 

"Sofa King Tyred of Lar Ting" <nobody@devnull.spamcop.net> wrote
in message 
news:fqs6sn$h3c$1@news.spamcop.net...
> Blue Rock wrote:
>> I received the following message:
>>
>>
http://www.spamcop.net/sc?id=z1702680042zffdf45fc0e5b5c013480146aacaf45e7z
>
> [snip]
>
>> So, my question is, given this situation, is it reasonable for me to
send 
>> a message to the hosting companies and registrars of VirtualLogix, 
>> accusing them of spamming in violation of various Terms of Service? 
>> Could VirtualLogix legitimately claim that they were not spamming, due
to 
>> a "prior business relationship" with me?
>
> Looking at the item, I see that it was sent through VerticalResponse. If 
> you Google that name, especially on Usenet (Google Groups), you'll find 
> that they're controversial with respect to their practices. However, that 
> doesn't mean they spammed you.
>
> There is so much "fine print" in privacy policies these days that
when you 
> do any business anywhere, it takes a lot of effort to know what a company 
> will do with your information.
>
> Some people say you shouldn't click the unsubscribe links in spams. But 
> maybe with VerticalResponse it will have a good result, if they 
> legitimately had the right to contact you.

Sofa,

Thanks for your reply.

On thier website, Vertical Response claims to carefully examine email lists 
supplied by thier customers, to confirm that all recipients have agreed to 
receive thier emails.  In addition, the host of thier email server (Global 
Crossings) has a policy that states:

'Customers sending bulk email, using Global Crossing services, may only 
engage in such activity through the use of "closed-loop opt-in"
lists.'

If I never received a confirmation that I positively replied to, stating 
that I was to be included in the list, wouldn't Vertical Response be in 
violation of that policy?

Also, even if I had established a relationship indirectly with VirtualLogix, 
through my dealings with some other company, I wouldn't have used the email 
address to which that spam was sent.  Therefore, if VirtualLogix supplied a 
list containing that address, it would have had to come from some 
illegitmate source, and thus wouldn't meet the standards of either Vertical 
Response, or Global Crossings.

I am not sure that I want to simply use the unsubscribe link, legitimate or 
not.  Doing that will simply result in my being listwashed, right?  If 
someone has done something wrong here, I want to call attention to that 
fact. 

On 3/7/2008 1:14 PM Blue Rock scribbled:

<snip>

> 
> On thier website, Vertical Response claims to carefully examine email lists

> supplied by thier customers, to confirm that all recipients have agreed to

> receive thier emails.  In addition, the host of thier email server (Global

> Crossings) has a policy that states:
> 
> 'Customers sending bulk email, using Global Crossing services, may only 
> engage in such activity through the use of "closed-loop opt-in"
lists.'
>

Global Crossings (glbx) sends me 2-3 spam a day, same crap you're
getting, just other names.
They respond to every SC report i send but the spam doesn't diminish.

If I ran my own network, they would be blocked on sight.

It is spam.