The new Canadian anti-spam legislation, CASL – Bill c-28, (unofficially, the Anti-Spam Act) is one of the most comprehensive and onerous anti-spam statutes to date, imposing significant requirements not seen in other jurisdictions. Businesses using e-mail in Canada should carefully consider the impact of this legislation on their operations.

The Anti-Spam Act will affect all Canadian businesses that engage in any e-mail marketing practices and may reach those businesses by the use of e-mail. It also affects any individual or staff in possession of an electronic means of communication in support of commercial activity. This does include Not-for-Profit and Charity organization. The Act was passed in December 2010, but the regulations have just been issued, and come into effect July 1, 2014.

Given its onerous requirements, businesses should not delay in turning their minds to its impact. The discussion should assist in identifying whether a business may be caught by the Anti-Spam Act, what it could mean for such a business, and preliminary steps that should be taken to ensure compliance.

The regulations for this Act have just been issued. Come and join us for an insightful commentary on this important legislation from Martin Kratz Q.C., Head of Intellectual Property at Bennett Jones LLP. Martin is an internationally recognized lawyer who has more than 280 publications on intellectual property, technology law and related topics.

Joining Martin is colleague, Graeme Harrison, a member of Bennett Jones anti-spam compliance team, working with the firm's Intellectual Property and Technology practice. Before joining Bennett Jones, Graeme obtained his JD from the University of Calgary, and attended McGill University and the University of Saskatchewan for his undergraduate degree in English.