Why do people and companies add lame and unenforceable trailers to e-mail?

1. Exhibit 1

CONFIDENTIAL. The contents are also subject to copyright protection. Unless you are the addressee (or authorized by the addressee), you may not use, copy or disclose to anyone the contents of this message or attachments. If you have received the message in error, please advise the sender by reply e-mail or telephone (xxx-xxx-xxxx) and delete the message.

1. Exhibit 2

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information in this electronic message (including any attachments) is confidential and may be privileged or proprietary. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, disclosure, copying, downloading, or other use of the information is prohibited and unauthorized, and may be unlawful, regardless of address or routing. If you are not the intended recipient, please inform the sender immediately and permanently delete and destroy the original and any copies of this message, including any attachments.

I’m no lawyer, but logic suggests, that these are unenforceable, since the recipient had no way of reviewing the agreement prior to accepting or rejecting the terms (ie. receiving the message).

If a company or individual contacts me with one of these attached I ignore them.

Their attempt to exercise legal control of our conversation is unacceptable.

If what they are saying needs to be protected, e-mail is the wrong medium for its distribution.

They need to get a clue.