There's money to be made fighting spam--more money than even spammers see on their bottom lines, a research firm said Monday.

According to estimates by Ferris Research, which tracks the messaging market, revenue for vendors selling anti-spam products will be approximately $130 million in 2003 and soar 200% in 2004 to a whopping $360 million.

That's substantially more than the senders of spam see in revenue, much less profit. Revenue generated by spammers in 2003 will be roughly $130 million, said David Ferris, head of Ferris Research, while their profit during the year will range from $20 million to $30 million.

Spammers are typically small businesses, said Ferris, who believes his revenue and profit numbers are on target. "These aren't people building $100 million companies," he added.

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