Effective January 1, 2004, a new federal law will preempt all existing state anti-spam laws, including an amendment to the California anti-spam law that was to go into effect on January 1, 2004. The California amendment would have prohibited sending unsolicited commercial email messages. The new federal law, the CAN-SPAM Act, will allow that practice to continue. By preempting state laws, the CAN-SPAM Act also removes an individual’s right to sue for receipt of unwanted email, a welcome relief f