The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Hormel can’t stomach Seattle tech company that blocks out spam: I always wondered when the makers of Spam (big “S”) were going to revolt over the co-opting of their name.
“Unable to stuff this problem back into the can, Hormel is instead doing what companies often do: asserting its trademark rights. Claiming dilution of the trademarked name Spam, the company has filed complaints against Spam Arrest, a Seattle technology company that provides spam-blocking software for e-mail users.”
Here's a more detailed view from CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/07/04/spam.hormel.ap/index.html