The Brightmail Logistics and Operations Center (BLOC) evaluates newly detected spam and issues rules for ISPs.

[4] Brightmail had partnerships with major Email providers and ISPs including Netscape, Sendmail, Hotmail and Software.com.

The antivirus-inspired regular update mechanism used to detect spam email attracted the attention of Internet security software makers and Brightmail was acquired by Symantec in 2004.

[5] Founded as Bright Light Technologies, Inc. by a group of AOL expatriates led by Sunil Paul in 1998, with the promise to “end spam,” Bright Light raised $55 million in three rounds of venture capital led by Accel, TCV, and Symantec.

[5] In mid-2004, Symantec Corp., an early investor that owned 11 percent of Brightmail, acquired the firm for $370 million in an all-cash deal.