Half a century ago spam fed most of Europe. These days the word spells trouble for computer users. Unwanted emails clog up networks and inboxes. And office staff waste valuable time identifying and deleting them. Employers have been fighting spam for more

According to the latest statistics, computers receive an average of thirty spam messages every day. It usually takes thirty seconds to read and to delete each one. As a result, fifteen minutes of work-time is wasted.

What can be even more worrying is how the spam is sent. Using a virus, spammers can infect computers and turn them into “zombie PCs” stealing thousands of e-mails without user’s knowledge.

User Vladimir Koshin got sick and tired of having to clean out his e-mail box daily and decided to take action. He demanded compensation for the time spent deleting spam.

When it emerged that a businessman was behind the unwelcome email, Koshin took him to court. A judge fined the businessman 5,000 rubles.

It’s the first time in Russia that the fight against spam has been made it to the courts. However, it’s uncertain whether the case will set a precedent.