Fergie's Tech Blog

Movieland.com Sued Over Spyware

Robert McMillan writes on InfoWorld:

The U.S. state of Washington has sued the owners of the Movieland.com, alleging that the company used spyware to strong-arm users into signing up for its paid movie download service.

Consumers who dowloaded Movieland.com's free three-day trial software would eventually be hit with frequent pop-up ads informing them that they were legally obliged to purchase the product, said Paula Selis, an assistant attorney general with the state. The tactics forced some consumers to give in and pay between US$19.95 and $100 for the service, she said.

Washington has received thousands of consumer complaints about Movieland.com, dating back to the end of 2005, Selis added. "We sued them because we were getting complaints from consumers who felt that they were being harassed and held over a barrel for payments that they didn't agree to make," she said.

posted by Fergie @ 8/14/2006 03:42:00 PM