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FTC RIN: 3084-AA96 Publication ID: Fall 2008 
Title: Rules Implementing the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 
Abstract: The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (the CAN-SPAM Act or the Act), Public Law No. 108-187, 15 U.S.C. 7701 to 7703, 18 U.S.C. 1307, was enacted on December 16, 2003. The Act required that the Commission issue regulations: (1) Prescribing marks for e-mail messages containing sexually oriented material within 120 days of enactment, on April 14, 2004, and (2) defining the relevant criteria to facilitate the determination of the "primary purpose" of an electronic message within 12 months of enactment or by December 16, 2004. On April 13, 2004, the Commission announced its final rule prescribing a mark to be included in commercial e-mail that contains sexually oriented materials (Final Rule) (69 FR 21024; Apr. 19, 2004); (NPRM) (69 FR 4263; Jan. 29, 2004). The final rule on labels went into effect on May 19, 2004. On March 11, 2004, the Commission published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) and requested comments on how to determine an electronic mail message’s primary purpose, including comment on criteria that would facilitate this determination in the mandatory portion of the rulemaking pursuant to the Act (69 FR 11776). The Commission announced the final rule regarding an electronic mail message's primary purpose on December 16, 2004 (Final Rule) (70 FR 3110; Jan. 19, 2005); (NPRM) (69 FR 50091; Aug. 13, 2004). The rule became effective on March 28, 2005. The CAN-SPAM Act also provided the Commission with discretionary rulemaking authority in several other areas identified below. After issuing an ANPRM (69 FR 11776; Mar. 11, 2004), the Commission published an NPRM on May 12, 2005, that proposed rule provisions on five topics: (1) Defining the term "person," a term used repeatedly throughout the Act but not defined there; (2) modifying the definition of "sender" to make it easier to determine which of multiple parties advertising in a single e-mail message will be responsible for complying with the Act’s "opt-out" requirements; (3) clarifying that Post Office boxes and private mailboxes established pursuant to United States Postal Service regulations constitute "valid physical postal addresses" within the meaning of the Act; (4) shortening from 10 days to 3 the time a sender may take before honoring a recipient's opt-out request; and (5) clarifying that to submit a valid opt-out request, a recipient cannot be required to pay a fee, provide information other than his or her e-mail address and opt-out preferences, or take any steps other than sending a reply e-mail message or visiting a single Internet Web page (70 FR 25426). The comment period closed on June 27, 2005. The Commission published final rules on May 21, 2008 (73 FR 29653). 
Agency: Federal Trade Commission(FTC)  Priority: Substantive, Nonsignificant 
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Completed Actions 
Major: No  Unfunded Mandates: No 
CFR Citation: 16 CFR 316   
Legal Authority: 15 USC 7701 to 7713    18 USC 1037   
Legal Deadline:
Action Source Description Date
Final  Statutory  Final rule defining criteria to determine "primary purpose" of an e-mail  12/16/2004 
Final  Statutory  Marks for sexually explicit e-mail  04/14/2004 
Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
NPRM - Labels  01/29/2004  69 FR 4263   
Final Rule on CAN-SPAM Labels  04/19/2004  69 FR 21024   
Final Rule Effective (Labels)  05/19/2004    
ANPRM Request for Comment on Primary Purpose and Discretionary Rules  03/11/2004  69 FR 11776   
Extension of Comment Period (Primary Purpose and Discretionary Rules)  04/09/2004  69 FR 18851   
ANPRM Comment Period End (Primary Purpose and Discretionary Rules)  04/20/2004    
NPRM (Primary Purpose)  08/13/2004  69 FR 50091   
Final Rule (Primary Purpose)  01/19/2005  70 FR 3110   
NPRM (Discretionary Rules)  05/12/2005  70 FR 25426   
Commission Action (Final Discretionary Rules)  05/21/2008  73 FR 29654   
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No  Government Levels Affected: None 
Small Entities Affected: Businesses  Federalism: No 
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No 
RIN Information URL: www.regulations.gov/AGCY_FEDERALTRADECOMMISSION.cfm   Public Comment URL: www.regulations.gov/AGCY_FEDERALTRADECOMMISSION.cfm  
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No 
Agency Contact:
Janis Kestenbaum
Attorney
Federal Trade Commission
Bureau of Consumer Protection, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20580
Phone:202 326-2798
Email: jkestenbaum@ftc.gov