More online marketing firms may be in New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's cross-hairs after last week's spyware suit against Intermix as that investigation continues, writes the eCommerce Times. Spitzer's office declined to say which companies might be involved, but says it collected information on approximately 30 companies and the investigation continues. The fallout may already be reaching legitimate businesses.

Ask Jeeves, for example, has had to respond to accusations that its sites enable downloading of unwanted programs. The eCommerce Times speculates that big-time firms with squeaky reputations could be roped in, including Yahoo (which hasn't been named by the New York AG), because of its connection to Intermix through Overture, which formerly accounted for up to 10 percent of Intermix revenue annually.

The market for ads delivered or generated by adware programs without a user's consent is worth around $2 billion a year, according to some estimates.