CAN-SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act is a new anti-spam law that sets national standards for the sending of commercial e-mail and requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce its provisions. The bill's full name is the "Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003." The bill permits e-mail marketers to send unsolicited commercial e-mail as long as it contains: an opt-out mechanism, a functioning return e-mail address, a valid subject line indicating it is an advertisement, the legitimate physical address of the mailer. The bill includes many other provisions, such as the formation of a national do-not-spam list, and the prohibition of certain email address collection methods.