AdEx Media has bought the lead gen business of Bay Harbor Marketing, LLC, a California limited liability company. The terms were not disclosed. AdEx plans to absorb Bay Harbor Marketing’s software to round out its own affiliate marketing and lead gen business. This is Mountain View, CA.-based AdEx’s second purchase in less than a month. It bought Digital Instructor, a marketer of “how-to” courses on CD, in mid-August.

After taking off fairly quickly, the practice of lead gen fell into some disrepute last year after rising consumer complaints about fraud began tainting many companies associated with that kind of online marketing. One low point for lead gen occurred when ValueClick (NSDQ: VCLK) agreed to pay $2.9 million to the Federal Trade Commission to settle charges of deceptive lead gen practices last February. Since then, the investigations and complaints have died down and the business is likely to begin growing again. Release.