通讯技术和互联网的发展为经济发展提供了新的维度,以网络为依托的电子商务方兴未艾,电子邮件广告就是其中之一。依德国法学理论界和司法实践中的通说,电子邮件广告侵扰了用户的私人领域或商务领域,构成民事侵权行为和不正当竞争行为。本文结合欧洲法的新动态,尝试对电子邮件广告作出新的法律评价。文章首先介绍了电子邮件广告和其他直接营销模式的关系,它们共同的法律特点,以及共有的对营销对象造成侵扰的潜在危险。在阐述了德国法在此方面的立法空白后,笔者分析了与电子邮件广告有关的三个主要欧盟指令,即《远程销售指令》、《电信服务数据保护指令》和《电子商务指令》,分析了其中对电子邮件广告的调整思路。其后,对德国《反不正当竞争法》第1条和德国《民法典》第823条的规定进行了简单的介绍,这两条一般性条款是目前德国学者和司法实践对电子邮件广告和其他直接营销手段进行法律评价的主要依据。在综合了德国司法实践和学界对电子邮件广告的态度之后,作者尝试作出自己的分析和提出解决思路。笔者首先从受到德国司法和学界忽视的数据保护法的角度出发,澄清了在此方面对电子邮件广告的限制。接下来依据竞争法和侵权法中的一般规定,具体比较和分析了电子邮件广告与其他传统直接营销模式的可比性和相异性,并得出结论,不能不加区别、毫无保留地将传统的评价原则移植适用于电子邮件广告。其后,笔者具体分析了电子邮件造成侵扰的方式和程度。在此基础上得出结论,目前德国司法实践和学界主流对电子邮件广告采取的“原则上禁止”调整模式失之过苛,没有考虑到电子邮件广告的实际特点,也不符合电子商务发展的实际需要。为了兼顾消费者保护和经济发展的需要,笔者更加支持“原则上许可”的调整模式,即原则上许可电子邮件广告的发送,只有出现例外情形,如用户表示反对、邮件体积过大、对广告内容进行伪装、隐藏发件人等情形,发送电子邮件广告才构成违法行为。笔者在此更多地强调了行业自律的可能性和重要性,以及因电子邮件的技术特点从技术上对广告邮件加以控制的可行性和有效性。 The development of communication technology and the Internet has provided a new dimension for economic development. E-commerce is one of them, with web-based e-commerce in the ascendant. According to German jurisprudence circles and judicial practice, e-mail advertisements invade the user’s private domain or business domain and constitute civil tort and unfair competition. This article attempts to make a new legal evaluation of e-mail advertising in light of the new developments in European law. The article starts with an introduction to the relationship between e-mail advertising and other direct marketing models, their common legal characteristics, and the potential dangers of intrusion on marketing audiences. After elaborating on the legislative gap in German law in this area, the author analyzes three major EU directives relating to email advertising: Remote Sales Directive, Telecommunications Service Data Protection Directive and Electronic Commerce Directive One of the adjustment of email advertising ideas. Subsequently, the German Anti-Unfair Competition Law, Article 1 and German Civil Code, Article 823 provides a brief introduction, the two general provisions are the current German scholars and judicial practice of e-mail advertising and Other direct marketing means the main basis for legal evaluation. After synthesizing the German judicial practice and academic attitudes toward e-mail advertising, the author tries to make his own analysis and propose solutions. From the perspective of the data protection law which the German judiciary and the academic community neglected, the author first clarifies the restrictions on e-mail advertising in this respect. Then according to the general provisions of competition law and tort law, the author compares and analyzes the comparability and dissimilarity of e-mail advertising with other traditional direct marketing modes, and concludes that without distinction, The evaluation principle of transplanting applies to email advertising. Later, I analyzed in detail the ways and extent of e-mail intrusion. On the basis of this, it is concluded that the current “Judicial Prohibition” adjustment pattern of e-mail advertisement by judicial practice and academic mainstream in Germany does not consider the actual characteristics of e-mail advertising nor is it in line with e-commerce The actual needs of development. In order to meet the needs of consumer protection and economic development, the author also supports the adjustment mode of “permission in principle”, that is, permission to send e-mail advertisements in principle. Only when exceptions occur, for example, users object to objections, Disguise advertising content, hide the sender and so on, sending e-mail advertising constitutes a violation of law. Here I emphasize more on the possibility and importance of industry self-regulation, as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of technically controlling advertising mail due to the technical features of e-mail.