From TechRepublic:
Why is AOL on the brink of giving away a fully loaded Hummer H2 and nearly $100,000 worth of gold bars and cash–all of which once belonged to an e-mail marketer?
Both AOL members and non-members–all of whom will have a chance to win the goods–can thank the Can-Spam Act.
The law, which has not gone without criticism, not only arms Internet service providers with legal weapons against those who fire off unsolicited e-mail, it also allows courts to seize any property that a convicted spammer has obtained using money made through the offense. Any equipment, software, or technology used for illicit purposes is also fair game.
AOL obtained the goods as part of a settlement earlier this year in the first lawsuit it filed under the Can-Spam Act, in a case involving a then-20-year-old New Hampshire resident.