Correspondence: Ewan Nettleton, Bristows, 3 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3AA, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7400 8000; Fax: +44 (0) 20 7400 8050; e-mail: ewan.nettleton@bristows.com

¹is a senior associate solicitor in the Intellectual Property Department at the Technology Law Firm, Bristows. He specialises in Intellectual Property Law with an emphasis on litigation. He has an MA in Chemistry and a DPhil in Protein Chemistry and is particularly interested in matters relating to the IT and pharmaceutical industries.

²is a trainee solicitor at Bristows currently sitting in the Intellectual Property Litigation Department. He has a BSc degree in Physics and French.

Abstract

Database marketers being 'data controllers' within the meaning of the Data Protection Act ought to be aware of the UK's data protection legislation and may even have had dealings with the UK regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). This paper describes some recent enforcement action taken by the ICO, including action taken in relation to unsolicited marketing mailings, and looks in detail at how the approach adopted seeks to ensure compliance.