Date of this Version

December 1998

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Details

Forder, Jay. “Unsolicited email in business: Spam, murk and the opt-in /opt-out debate", CCH Law and Technology, Issue 11, Dec 1998, pp. 1-3.

Reproduced with the kind permission of CCH Australia Limited.
For more information see www.cch.com.au
©CCH 1998. All rights reserved.

Abstract

[Extract] At first glance, email could be viewed as just another method of communication. You might think it wouldn’t raise any new legal issues. But the change is not so much in what businesses do, but in how quickly and easily they are able to do it. The increase in speed, quantity and reach of communications leads to a fundamental change in the way business is conducted. Direct marketing takes on a whole new significance. The printing press brought about a similar change in the Middle Ages. Before the press, publishing books took a long time. Afterwards, the increase in speed and quantity led to fundamental changes that required legislative intervention, eg to deal with copyright. Will similar intervention be needed to deal with unsolicited email (’spam’)?