Private ‘Do Not Call’ Web Site to Be Redesigned
An online entrepreneur who out-hustled the state of California by creating a “do not call” system to repel unsolicited telemarketer pitches said Monday that he is redesigning his Web site because of concerns that it too closely resembled an official state site.
Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer had questioned the appearance of the private site.
“I don’t want any trouble,” said Mark Gould, president of an Irvine-based company that offered protection to consumers who joined a “California Do Not Call List” for $20.
Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill by Sen. Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont) last week that will create in the attorney general’s office a state-operated “do not call” list for Californians who don’t want interruptions from telemarketers.
Membership will cost $1, and the program is due to be operating by Jan. 1, 2003. Telemarketers who violate the prohibition will be subject to civil lawsuits.
Gould said he started his nonprofit “The California Do Not Call List” last month, three weeks before the governor signed the bill. The Web site featured a photo of the state Capitol, the official-sounding title and links to both Davis’ and Lockyer’s offices.
He said he decided on his site’s name before the bill came to life last summer. The text makes clear that his is a private, nonprofit operation.
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