Addition to your Email Footer - Legal Requirement (UK)

[Spirit]

Hi All,

I saw a thread about adding a footer and it reminded me that I hadn't seen anything about the following.

Those Numpties in power have been bored again and have come up with another nanny state law for us. Basically as of Jan 2007 due to changes in the Companies Act 1985, all UK registered companies to include the following;

1. The name, geographic address and email address of the service provider.

2. the company's registration number should be given and, under the Companies Act, the place of registration

3. VAT number, it should be stated

4. Any membership to trade bodies also has to be specified.

Previously this only had to be on "Business Letters" bless that 1985 legislation but now its meant to go on all communications.....

http://www.out-law.com/page-7594

http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/news/2171778/rules-force-web-site-changes

I am sure we've all done this already but just checking!

Iain

 

[monsterjta]

It's a good practice to give source information, as far as messaging goes. The ladder part seems a bit much. I would agree that nobody should spoof an email address, or hack our systems. I'm not so sure the abovementioned will stop the crooks.

(FYI: it is a word

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/abovementioned)

Hope This Helps,

Good Luck!

(Enamoration by Automation)

 

[markdmac]

Spirit,

You could use an SMTP event sink for this, GFI Mail Essentials offers it and so does Exclaimer.

http://www.exclaimer.com/mailutilities.aspx

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

Check out my scripting solutions at

http://www.thespidersparlor.com/vbscript

 

[58sniper]

I'm working on an FAQ about disclaimers that I hope to have online here in the next day or so. Maybe it will help.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[Spirit]

Sorry guys and gals I guess I should have used the wee bulby thing and not the news. I just wanted to make sure that everyone was aware of the change in legal requirement.

I use Sybari / Microsoft Antigen for my disclaimers. Which for your FAQ might by added to the thrd party apps although it costs $$$ / £££. And once its written I will make a point of reading it so at least someone has!

I'll even get the wife to read it - she won't understand it but at least that's two! Even if no one else checks or clicks the Invisible Search button!

Cheers,
Iain

 

[58sniper]

I've actually been following several discussion list threads and there is some debate as to whether it's actually REQUIRED....

Hmm....

Okay, I'll make sure Antigen is listed.

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[ntinlin]

We haven't actually gotten around to implementing it yet but my company took legal advice. And their advice was that it was definitely required.

I'm looking at using Nemx SecurExchange AutoContent to do this since it is priced by SMTP connector rather than per user like most are.



Neill

 

[Zelandakh]

It is a change in the law of the companies act so yes it is required. The thing is there are no hard and fast rules on all requirements or positioning or size - you could put it in at one point or even smaller and technically get away with it. Heck, you could put your registration details in using Wingdings!

 

[enbw]

Hi,

I have just taken over the IT at a company, even though I am not entirely an IT person. We need to comply the act. Currently we have symantec mail security with exchange 2003. I am looking for software to add the disclaimer but some anti-spam as well. I am looking for advice, as I can get anti spam module for the symantec mail security. However this does not offer the facility to for the disclaimer. Presently I don't want to move away from symantec. My initial thoughts are to go with the anti-spam with symantec and then buy a seperate product to do the disclaimer / signature aspects. Is this reasonable?

 

[ntinlin]

Would seem so.

Depends on the costs of the disclaimer software. Some do it by connectors, some by number of mailboxes.
The nemx.com software I'm looking at costs $1000 because I have two SMTP connectors on my Exchange relay server. $500 for one.

However there is another vendor that does a product for around $100, but I forget the name. UK based I think. Their product does all messages going out from the server which isn't granular enough for me.

I need to do it for only specific groups since I am hosting users from many different countries on the server.
Thus I need to go for something like Nemx, exclaimer, or GFI.

I'll see if I can details of the $100 one for you.
Neill

 

[enbw]

Thanks for the quick response. Due to the nature of the business then I think we need to go with something like exclaimer.

Thanks once again.

 

[ntinlin]

Found it.

http://www.pa-software.com/products/overview.php?prod=49742CC0

 

[zbnet]

It is a change in the law of the companies act so yes it is required. The thing is there are no hard and fast rules on all requirements or positioning or size - you could put it in at one point or even smaller and technically get away with it. Heck, you could put your registration details in using Wingdings!

Zel, you haven't quoted your source, so I'm not sure where you got your information from. But there is definitely some ambiguity to the regulations. I've included a link to a DTI document that describes the regulations in layman terms (this isn't a link to the regs themselves). The 2 points I'd draw to your attention are:

- from 1st January the company details are required on all "the company's business letters, order forms and websites... ...whether the document is in hard copy or electronic or any other form." The debate surrounds whether every single email sent from a company email system is a 'business letter' or not. I would argue not - especially if personal use of the email is allowed. Not even every business-oriented outbound email is a 'business letter' - what about an email to a list-server posting a techncial problem? Some lawyers are going into overdrive mode and saying you need it on every outbound email to be safe (which is an opinion, and might even be good advice, but it isn't what the regs say you need);

- the regs say the details need "to appear legibly", so miniscule text or obscure symbol fonts will break the law for communications that are deemed 'business letters'.

http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file36201.doc