SPAMARREST LLC TELLS HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION TO CAN ITS TRADEMARK CHALLENGE

SpamArrest LLC, popular junk email blocker, will fight Hormel Foods effort to challenge its trademark. "Hormel is acting like a corporate crybaby and ought to can it," said Brian Cartmell, President and CEO of SpamArrest LLC.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPAMARREST LLC TELLS HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION TO CAN ITS TRADEMARK CHALLENGE

Seattle (PRWEB) June 30, 2003 - SpamArrest LLC, a fast-growing Seattle Internet company, says the Hormel Foods Corporation is challenging the trademark on its popular system to fight email spam.

SpamArrest LLC filed two trademark applications in early 2002 for the term Spam Arrest. It was granted a trademark in international class 009 for "computer software, namely, software designed to eliminate unsolicited commercial electronic mail." This trademark was challenged last week by Hormel, which makes the canned meat product SPAM. A second application by SpamArrest for a trademark in international class 042 for online computer services was challenged before it was granted.

"Hormel is acting like a corporate crybaby and ought to can it," said Brian Cartmell, President and CEO of SpamArrest LLC. "Spam is a common term describing unsolicited commercial email and even Hormel says on its own website: 'We do not object to use of this slang term to describe UCE, although we do object to the use of our product image in association with that term.' Dozens of companies use the word 'spam' in their legal and commercial names and no one confuses any of us with the Hormel canned meat product."

Seattle attorney Derek A. Newman, who represents SpamArrest LLC, said, "Inexplicably Hormel is challenging anyone who uses the word spam as part of a trademark. Spam has become ubiquitous throughout the world to describe unsolicited commercial email. No company can claim trademark rights on a generic term. SpamArrest is both our corporate name and an arbitrary trademark. We are not claiming the right to use the generic term spam alone, but we will protect our company name and the brand of our product."

The cases are pending before the Trademark Trial and Appellate Board. Hearings have not yet been scheduled. Further information about the case is available at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Website (www.uspto.gov).

ABOUT SPAMARREST
SpamArrest LLC is a Seattle-based company that has developed an efficient, simple and inexpensive system that stops spam. The company has been growing at a rate of over 20% per month. There is no software to install and the system is not intrusive. After a sender's first message to a SpamArrest subscriber is verified, there is no further interaction. Subscribers may also pre-authorize senders. SpamArrest continually monitors automated junk email techniques and upgrades automatically as necessary to protect its subscribers. For more information visit www.spamarrest.com or email press@spamarrest.com.

CONTACT: For interviews with Brian Cartmell and Derek Newman, please contact press@spamarrest.com or call Allan Priaulx, 212-687-1765.