DMA Releases International Spam Law Summary
NEW YORK, AUGUST 6, 2003 – The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) has released an Executive Summary of International Spam Laws, covering 41 countries and the European Union. The summary is designed to assist DMA members in complying with applicable laws when marketing abroad.
The new DMA report specifies each nation’s opt-in and opt-out practices, and summarizes laws that detail rules for direct and interactive marketers. It also explains European Union Directives that will effect marketing practices in 15 European nations beginning November 1, 2003.
"Legitimate e-mail marketers care about the rules, and play by them, at home and abroad," said H. Robert Wientzen, president & CEO, The DMA. "By complying with laws governing cross-border e-mail marketing, we will ensure that this valuable new marketing channel remains viable."
"The summary will lessen the confusion associated with laws governing e-mail marketing abroad," added Charles Prescott, vice president of international business development and government affairs, The DMA. "At a glance, marketers will be able to make responsible and lawful decisions with confidence."
The summary can be found on The DMA’s web site at http://www.the-dma.org/antispam/spamlaws.shtml. The DMA will continue to monitor domestic and international spam laws and will post updates as they become available.
The DMA is the leading trade association for businesses interested in interactive and database marketing, with nearly 4,700 member companies from the United States and 53 other nations. Founded in 1917, its members include direct marketers from every business segment as well as the nonprofit and electronic marketing sectors. Included are catalogers, Internet retailers and service providers, financial services providers, book and magazine publishers, book and music clubs, retail stores, industrial manufacturers and a host of other vertical segments, including the service industries that support them. According to a DMA-commissioned study, direct and interactive marketing sales in the United States exceeded $1.86 trillion in 2001, including $118 billion in catalog sales and $30 billion in sales generated by the Internet. The DMA's Web site is
www.the-dma.org, and its consumer Web site is www.shopthenet.org.###