Legal Definitions - District of Columbia

Definition: The District of Columbia has enacted laws to regulate commercial email and spam, telemarketing and telephonic anti-solicitation, and unlawful trade practices.

The Spam Deterrence Act of 2008 prohibits sending commercial email with false identifying information or a false subject line, as well as the deceptive use of a third party's internet address, domain name, or other identifying information. This law is aimed at preventing spam emails that deceive or mislead recipients.

An individual sends an email advertising a product, but the email address and subject line are misleading and do not accurately represent the content of the email. This would be a violation of the Spam Deterrence Act of 2008.

The District of Columbia has banned the use of automated dialing or push-button telephone systems with pre-recorded messages for commercial solicitation or surveys. This law is aimed at preventing unwanted telemarketing calls that use automated systems to reach a large number of people quickly.

A company uses an automated system to call individuals and play a pre-recorded message advertising a product. This would be a violation of the law banning the use of automated dialing or push-button telephone systems for commercial solicitation.

The District of Columbia Consumer Protections Procedure Act includes a prohibition of certain unlawful trade practices, but none of them specifically include spam email. This law is aimed at preventing businesses from engaging in unfair or deceptive practices that harm consumers.

A business engages in false advertising, making claims about a product that are not true. This would be a violation of the District of Columbia Consumer Protections Procedure Act.