Ohio Spam Bill Signed Into Law

Governor Bob Taft has signed a bill (HB 383, news release) that prohibits deceptive or misleading internet advertisements. It also prohibits using a false e-mail account to send spam, including the use of false routing information, registration information, or falsifying the right to use five or more Internet protocol addresses. Spammers are also prohibited from gaining unauthorized access to a computer to transmit commercial electronic mail messages. The new Ohio law is similar to the federal CAN-SPAM Act (the law in PDF or html; the regs in PDF), and includes stronger penalties.

Bill summary:

To amend section 2923.01 and to enact section 2913.421 of the Revised Code to prohibit a person from transmitting multiple commercial electronic mail messages, falsifying routing information in those messages, falsifying registration information for multiple electronic mail accounts, or falsifying the right to use five or more internet protocol addresses, and to prohibit unauthorized access to a computer to transmit multiple commercial electronic mail messages.