Microsoft Corp. filed nine lawsuits against individuals and companies allegedly involved in the distribution of spam, the company said yesterday. The suits, all filed in the last month, include eight against individuals alleged to be behind spam campaigns that offered e-mail users a variety of products including generic online drugs, T-shirts, software, pornography and dating services. The ninth lawsuit is against a Web hosting company that catered to the spammer community by claiming to be "bulletproof," or incapable of being shut down, Microsoft said in a statement.

The lawsuits are just the latest salvo in a legal war on spammers by Microsoft, as well as by Internet service providers like America Online Inc. and EarthLink Inc. In June, Microsoft filed eight lawsuits against alleged spammers who used accounts at the company's Hotmail e-mail service and compromised PCs running its Windows software to send spam.

In the latest suits, Microsoft has also extended its reach to companies that sell services to spammers.