2,200,000,000,000
The number of dollars that a coalition of California acitivists are suing Fax.com for.
The lawsuits, filed in California state and federal courts, seek class-action status and punitive damages against Fax.com; its telecommunications provider, Cox Business Services, a division of Cox Communications; as well as Fax.com's advertisers.
"The right to free speech stops at the entrance to my house. You are not allowed to invade my privacy and to use my resources to send your message," said Steve Kirsch, a longtime Internet entrepreneur and philanthropist who announced the lawsuits.
The suits accuse all the named companies of violating federal laws prohibiting "junk" faxes -- unsolicited ads or announcements that "broadcast" to millions of personal, corporate and government facsimile machines.
Fax.com, in a statement, rejected the suits as "unfounded and absurd" and said it had the constitutional right to advertise by fax.
But in a decision earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission proposed fining Fax.com $5.38 million for sending unsolicited advertisements by fax, the largest fine ever proposed for such a violation.
Lawyers handling the case say they will seek a minimum of $500 per unsolicited fax from the advertisers who have used Fax.com over the past four years. Let the carnage begin....
