Washington state was one of the first states to pass an anti-spam law.
Primarily what it goes after is "false headers and false subject lines". They even have a website to report violations. Penalty is actual damages or $500 whichever is greater per occurrence.
"The Law is Broken When:
Commercial unsolicited e-mail is sent with:
* a false header OR
* a misleading subject line OR
* a third party's address is used without permission as the point of origin of the e-mail,
AND the e-mail is sent:
* to a Washington e-mail address OR
* from a computer located in Washington
The law only applies when a sender knows or has reason to know the e-mail is being sent to Washington.
HOW DOES A SENDER FIND OUT IF AN E-MAIL ADDRESS IS LOCATED IN WASHINGTON?
* The sender checks with the domain name registrant (usually the Internet Service Provider) before sending the e-mail.
* If the information is available, the sender is deemed to know the address is in Washington
* Even if the sender fails to inquire about the information, as long as it's available, the sender is deemed to know. "
|