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It's illegal in quite a lot of countries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_spam_legislation_by_coun...

How do you tell that it is categorically illegal to send unsolicited emails of any type?

Of course, you realize that could, at an extreme, mean that you cannot send a personal email to someone else you have previously not corresponded with.

Spamming refers to sending unsolicited email. Sending unsolicited emails isn't illegal; sending unsolicited emails that do not adhere to the law is illegal in America.

In Belgium it is indeed illegal to send unsolicited mails, IF it is sent for publicity reasons. The law includes a definition of publicity, the gist of which is "promoting goods, services or a company". It's the sender's task to prove that promotional mail was solicited.

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