Amazon.com has sued 11 entities in the United States and Canada for forging its domain name in their e-mail spam messages, the company has announced. The lawsuits represent the latest salvo in Amazon's fight to suppress and eradicate such spoofing.

The company filed suit in seven U.S. federal district courts and in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Canada, seeking millions of dollars in punitive damages as a deterrent to other spammers. Companies cited in the legal action include Rockin Time Holdings and Matrix Consulting Group LLC, both sellers of "Gain Pro Penile Pills"; several unidentified defendants hawking human growth hormone through Healthproductsnow.net; Cheapfilter.com, seller of a pay-per-view scam device; and GrantGiveaways.com, purveyor of "Free Cash Grants, Never Repay."

"The actions taken today by Amazon.com and by the state of New York will send a strong message that [this conduct] will not be tolerated," David Zapolsky, Amazon vice president and associate general counsel, said.

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