Good news for your inbox!

The net's self-declared spam king is seeking bankruptcy protection. Scott Richter, the man behind OptInRealBig.com and billions of junk mail messages, said lawsuits had forced the company into Chapter 11. OptInRealBig was fighting several legal battles, most notably against Microsoft, which is pushing for millions of dollars in damages.

Don't act too fast when dealing with spam - some responses might just make matters worse. Here are some golden rules:

• Don't reply, ever!
• Never buy anything from a spammer. Don't make spamming worth the effort - plus you'll get even more spam once they know you're willing to buy.
• Think twice before forwarding chain-letters or petitions. Mass-mailings like this still constitute spam and the lists of addresses on them are later used by spammers.
• Don't 'mail-bomb' the spammer who seems to have singled you out. The address included in the spam is probably forged or belongs to a mailbox the spammer ignores.