[jameshart]

What if there's a recall of those widgets? What if the company's DB is compromised and they need to notify you of a possible privacy breach? There has to be some leeway for contacting someone with whom you've done business online.

[dirktheman]

EU law makes a distinction between service emails and emails with a commercial message.

A recall message (we've noticed a problem with a widget you have) is perfectly legal, while a message like "since you're an avid user of our widget we present you widget v2" isn't.