| Type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Services | Internet-based facsimile (fax) |
| Parent | j2 Global, Inc. |
| Website | http://www.efax.com/ |
eFax is an Internet fax service of j2 Global, Inc (NASDAQ:JCOM) that enables sending and receiving of fax documents in digital format via email rather than a traditional paper fax machine.
eFax has four basic service levels: eFax Free, eFax Plus, eFax Pro and eFax Corporate[1].
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The first service branded "eFax" was created by British-born entrepreneur Mark Oglesby in early 1997, providing a service to integrate email with existing fax technology. Separately, eFax (trading under the domain name efax.com) began as a service of JetFax, Inc., which in the 1980s and 1990s manufactured and sold JetFax fax machines.
On February 8, 1999, JetFax changed its name to eFax.com, Inc. and began to offer the eFax electronic fax service.[2] During the dot-com bubble, the company's stock shot up, but fell during the bust and it ran out of funds. In late 2000, eFax.com was acquired by rival JFAX.COM, which had offered a similar electronic fax service. Upon the purchase, the company changed its name to j2 Global Communications. On December 7, 2011, the company dropped "Communications" from its registered name to become j2 Global, Inc. [3]
As of December 2011, eFax is only available in four service tiers, from free acounts, to invidual, high volume ("Pro") and corporate/enterprise services.
In May, 2011, eFax received the "Editors Choice" award from PC Magazine.[4]
On March 15, 2011 the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) placed j2 Global's trademark “eFax” on the principal trademark register. The approval grants j2 Global (eFax's parent company) exclusive right in the U.S. to use eFax® in connection with Internet faxing services.[5]