[Ecommerce] EU opt-in for spam

[James Love]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ursula Pachl" <ursula.pachl@beuc.org>
To: <ecommerce@tacd.org>
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2002 3:58 AM
Subject: finally EU goes for opt-in

This is to inform you that yesterday the European Parliament voted to ban
spamming. The Parliament agreed with the position taken earlier by the
Council that unsolicited commercial communications sent by email, SMS, fax
or by automated calling machines are not allowed without the prior
permission of the user.
There is however a derogation from this principle: Companies will be allowed
to send unsolicited commercial mails where they have received the  e-mail
adress directly from the consumer in the context of a pruchase and on
condition that the unsolicited e-mail only concerns  their own similar
products and that the consumer is given the opportunity  to  object, free of
charge and in an easy manner.

We are quite happy with this outcome.
Best wishes
Ursula



Ursula Pachl
Senior Legal Adviser
BEUC - The European Consumers' Organisation
avenue de Tervuren  36, bte 4
B- 1040      Brussels
Tel.: 02/743.15.90
Fax: 02/740.28.02
e-mail: upa@beuc.org
Website: http://www.beuc.org