An Internet consultant who won damages in a Scottish court after he received a single unwanted e-mail has launched a campaign to help people tackle "spammers".
Gordon Dick (30) has set up a website with the motto "Make the Spammers Pay!" that tells people how to take legal action against those who send unsolicited e-mail.
He faces an uphill battle as spam makes up about 80 per cent of the billions of e-mails sent each day, according to US Internet security company Postini.
Mr Dick, who won £750 plus costs in an Edinburgh court after suing over the unwanted e-mail last month, hopes others around the world will follow his lead.
However, the company which sent the e-mail denies sending spam and says his campaign will damage firms by deterring them from using e-mail as a marketing tool.
"It was a major decision to take," said Mr Dick, from Edinburgh, whose website is http://scotchspam.org.uk. "I had never been in a court before, I'd never dealt with the legal process and I was doing this unrepresented.
"The more familiar people are with the legal system, the more likely they are to make use of it, which is why I published how you could actually go about doing it."
His case has reignited the debate over how companies can use e-mail marketing without breaking anti-spam laws.