---
kind: "section"
citation: "15 U.S.C. § 7705"
title: "15"
title_heading: "Commerce and Trade"
number: "7705"
heading: "Businesses knowingly promoted by electronic mail with false or misleading transmission information"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/15/7705"
units:
  - "Chapter 103 — Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing"
---

# §7705. Businesses knowingly promoted by electronic mail with false or misleading transmission information

- (a) **In general—** It is unlawful for a [person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6) to promote, or allow the promotion of, that [person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6)’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](/usc/15/7702.md?p=2-A) the transmission of which is in violation of [section 7704(a)(1) of this title](/usc/15/7704.md?p=a-1) if that [person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6)—
  - (1) knows, or should have known in the ordinary course of that [person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6)’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](/usc/15/7702.md?p=3).
- (b) **Limited enforcement against third parties—**
  - (1) **In general—** Except as provided in [paragraph (2)](#b-2), a [person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6) (hereinafter referred to as the “third party”) that provides goods, products, property, or services to another [person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6) that violates [subsection (a)](#a) shall not be held liable for such violation.
  - (2) **Exception—** Liability for a violation of [subsection (a)](#a) shall be imputed to a third party that provides goods, products, property, or services to another [person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6) that violates [subsection (a)](#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](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6) that violated [subsection (a)](#a); or
    - (B)
      - (i) has actual knowledge that goods, products, property, or services are promoted in a [commercial electronic mail message](/usc/15/7702.md?p=2-A) the transmission of which is in violation of [section 7704(a)(1) of this title](/usc/15/7704.md?p=a-1); and
      - (ii) receives, or expects to receive, an economic benefit from such promotion.
- (c) **Exclusive enforcement by FTC—** Subsections (f) and (g) of [section 7706 of this title](/usc/15/7706.md) do not apply to violations of this section.
- (d) **Savings provision—** Except as provided in [section 7706(f)(8) of this title](/usc/15/7706.md?p=f-8), 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.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 108–187, § 6, Dec. 16, 2003, 117 Stat. 2710.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (d), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 108–187, Dec. 16, 2003, 117 Stat. 2699, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 7701 of this title and Tables.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective Jan. 1, 2004, see section 16 of Pub. L. 108–187, set out as a note under section 7701 of this title.