Good news, the new antispyware legislation is steadily starting to help us a bit. Although, I doubt that it will be very effective in the long run against those people who choose to create malware. I believe that the government should have taken it a step further, and forced antivirus companies to accept all spyware/adware on the same level as viruses (as long as the spyware and adware is installed without the users permission). Just my humble opinion.
Link to article:
www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=51200246&tid=13692
"In ordering a New Hampshire man to stop sending spyware that takes over parts of a user's computer, a federal judge has sent a warning shot at spammers in the United States."
"The downside, one data-security expert says, is that the action could encourage some spammers to move their activities offshore."
God forbid we outsource spam and spyware writing!