Spamhaus Domain Shutdown Request Denied

The U.S. Judge presiding over the lawsuit between Spamhaus and marketing company e360insight denied a motion to have the spam-fighting organization's domain suspended, saying the shuttering of the site does "not correspond to the gravity of the offending conduct."

e360insight asked the court earlier this month to order ICANN and Tucows to suspend the group's domain name pending payment of the judgement against it. While ICANN said it did not have jurisdiction to make such a move, it was successful in getting Spamhaus into the courtroom.

Spammers have sued Spamhaus several times in U.S. court, but it typically ignores the rulings. Instead, it invites the plaintiffs to sue them in U.K. court, but says they will not because spam is illegal in the U.K. and the losing party pays court costs.

Now not taking any chances, the group plans to fight the ruling by attempting to prove U.S. courts have no jurisdiction over its operations. "We are working with lawyers to find a way to both appeal/contest the ruling and stop further nonsense by this spammer," it has said.

e360insight had no immediate comment on the judge's latest action, but has said in statements that it " fully complies with or exceeds all federal requirements and is doing business legally and responsibly in the U.S."