(a) In generalIt is unlawful for a person to promote, or allow the promotion of, that person’s trade or business, or goods, products, property, or services sold, offered for sale, leased or offered for lease, or otherwise made available through that trade or business, in a commercial electronic mail message the transmission of which is in violation of section 7704(a)(1) of this title if that person—(1) knows, or should have known in the ordinary course of that person’s trade or business, that the goods, products, property, or services sold, offered for sale, leased or offered for lease, or otherwise made available through that trade or business were being promoted in such a message;
(2) received or expected to receive an economic benefit from such promotion; and
(3) took no reasonable action—(A) to prevent the transmission; or
(B) to detect the transmission and report it to the Commission.
(b) Limited enforcement against third parties(1) In generalExcept as provided in paragraph (2), a person (hereinafter referred to as the “third party”) that provides goods, products, property, or services to another person that violates subsection (a) shall not be held liable for such violation.
(2) ExceptionLiability for a violation of subsection (a) shall be imputed to a third party that provides goods, products, property, or services to another person that violates subsection (a) if that third party—(A) owns, or has a greater than 50 percent ownership or economic interest in, the trade or business of the person that violated subsection (a); or
(B)(i) has actual knowledge that goods, products, property, or services are promoted in a commercial electronic mail message the transmission of which is in violation of section 7704(a)(1) of this title; and
(ii) receives, or expects to receive, an economic benefit from such promotion.
(c) Exclusive enforcement by FTCSubsections (f) and (g) of section 7706 of this title do not apply to violations of this section.
(d) Savings provisionExcept as provided in section 7706(f)(8) of this title, nothing in this section may be construed to limit or prevent any action that may be taken under this chapter with respect to any violation of any other section of this chapter.
Structure US Code
CHAPTER 103— CONTROLLING THE ASSAULT OF NON-SOLICITED PORNOGRAPHY AND MARKETING
§ 7701. Congressional findings and policy
§ 7703. Prohibition against predatory and abusive commercial e-mail
§ 7704. Other protections for users of commercial electronic mail
§ 7708. Do-Not-E-Mail registry
§ 7709. Study of effects of commercial electronic mail
§ 7710. Improving enforcement by providing rewards for information about violations; labeling