So that's how SPAM got to be associated with spam

The Hormel Foods Corporation, owner of the registered trademark SPAM, has a statement on SPAM and the Internet. Essentially, Hormel does not object to the use of "spam" to describe unsolicited commercial e-mail ("UCE") but does object to the use of the word "spam" as a trademark and to the use of Hormel's product image in association with that term. What's interesting is the genisis of the term spam for UCE:

Use of the term "spam" was adopted as a result of the Monty Python skit in which our SPAM meat product was featured. In this skit, a group of Vikings sang a chorus of "spam, spam, spam . . . " in an increasing crescendo, drowning out other conversation. Hence, the analogy applied because UCE was drowning out normal discourse on the Internet.

Hat tip: The Trademark Blog

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