Data Protection Commission welcomes outcome of prosecution of marketing offences

This week, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) welcomed the outcome of prosecution proceedings taken in Dublin Metropolitan District Court.

Valterous Limited T/A Therapie Clinic

At Dublin Metropolitan District Court before Judge Halpin on 27 November 2024, Valterous Limited T/A Therapie Clinic pleaded guilty to one charge relating to the failure to provide a customer with a valid address to opt out of receiving marketing communications. Judge Halpin was advised that an employee of Valterous Limited T /A Therapie Clinic had engaged in marketing outside of the company’s message generation system. This resulted in a notification to the DPC with regards to unsolicited communication, which prompted the DPC’s investigation.

The court ordered Valterous Limited T/A Therapie Clinic to pay a charitable donation of €325 to local charity Little Flower Penny Dinners and €675 towards the legal fees of the DPC. The fact that the organisation had cooperated with the DPC and updated its systems to ensure that this problem would not recur in the future provided a suitable conclusion.

Previous Warning

The DPC issued a warning previously to the defendant in February 2023. This followed the investigation of a complaint from a member of the public in relation to a separate instance of unsolicited marketing communications and requests for opt-outs not being respected.