S-3540.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6366

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senators Brown, Hochstatter, Roach, Spanel, Shin, Prentice, Costa, Kohl‑Welles, McAuliffe, Fraser, Thibaudeau, B. Sheldon, T. Sheldon, Bauer, Eide, Jacobsen, Gardner, Haugen, Patterson, Rasmussen, Winsley and Oke

Read first time 01/14/2000.  Referred to Committee on Energy, Technology & Telecommunications.

Prohibiting false advertising through electronic communication.

    AN ACT Relating to false advertising through electronic communication; and amending RCW 9.04.050.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 9.04.050 and 1961 c 189 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    It shall be unlawful for any person to publish, disseminate or display, or cause directly or indirectly, to be published, disseminated or displayed in any manner or by any means, including solicitation or dissemination by mail, telephone, electronic communication, or door-to-door contacts, any false, deceptive or misleading advertising, with knowledge of the facts which render the advertising false, deceptive or misleading, for any business, trade or commercial purpose or for the purpose of inducing, or which is likely to induce, directly or indirectly, the public to purchase, consume, lease, dispose of, utilize or sell any property or service, or to enter into any obligation or transaction relating thereto:  PROVIDED, That nothing in this section shall apply to any radio or television broadcasting station which broadcasts, or to any publisher, printer or distributor of any newspaper, magazine, billboard or other advertising medium who publishes, prints or distributes, such advertising in good faith without knowledge of its false, deceptive or misleading character.

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