Harris Interactive dropped charges against America Online last month after the Internet service provider restored Harris’ communications capabilities. AOL had blocked Harris after it was listed on Mail Abuse Prevention Systems’ (MAPS) Realtime Blackhole List of alleged spammers.
At press time, the company said litigation against other defendants named in the case including Microsoft’s Hotmail and Quest, which have both blocked Harris communications based on the recommendation from the RBL, will continue.
“We are pleased with AOL’s action and its swift understanding of the magnitude of this issue,” said Harris Interactive CEO Gordon Black in a statement. “[This is] a major first step in our effort to ensure full protection against unfair and undemocratic practices that can emerge as a result of self-regulation by organizations such as MAPS.”
In a separate action, Harris’ request for a temporary restraining order to prevent Redwood City, CA-based Internet watchdog group MAPS from listing it on the RBL was denied, MAPS said in a statement.
“This is an important first-round victory for us,” said MAPS spokeswoman Kelly Thompson. “The judge realized that Harris’ claim of irreparable harm to its business from being placed in the RBL wasn’t as strong as it had claimed. Harris itself admits that it is still able to send e-mail to a large percentage of its survey base.”
MAPS director of online operations Peter Popovich said, “Harris was and is in the RBL because we have received ongoing complaints from people who continue to receive unwanted e-mail from Harris – mail for which they had never signed up in the first place. All Harris had to do to get off the RBL was to commit to expunging those addresses from their mailing lists or to not use those tainted lists. That’s still all that it needs to do.”
Harris Interactive, an Internet market research firm based in Rochester, NY, filed a lawsuit July 31 against the prominent ISPs that had blocked the firm from corresponding with some 2.7 million of its 6.6 million panelists, including about 600,000 who had participated in online research, the company said. The block also prevents some parties from accessing Harris’ Web sites and joining its interactive panel. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, seeks injunctive relief and significant monetary damages.
MAPS is also named in the suit, as is Harris Interactive’s competitor market research firm Incon and its president Martin Roth. All are accused of “nominating” Harris Interactive for the RBL.
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