Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
Video Privacy Law and Online Services
The Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), passed by Congress in 1988, has reemerged as consumer video rentals have migrated from brick-and-mortar video stores to online subscription services, or sites that allow digital streaming of TV shows and movies over the Internet. The VPPA, which generally prohibits video service providers from releasing personally identifiable information (PII) without written consent, has become a relevant concern for modern media providers because such services are now typically linked to social media sites that allow users to share viewing habits, something that was not possible 20 years ago.
The VPPA, 18 U.S.C. '2710, http://1.usa.gov/Woigzh, prohibits video tape service providers from knowingly disclosing PII concerning any consumer to any person. The impetus for the Act occurred when a reporter obtained a list of videotapes that the late U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Robert Bork rented from his local video store. Specifically, the Act prohibits a “video tape service provider” from:
- Knowingly disclosing to any person;
- Personally identifiable information (PII) concerning any consumer of such provider;
- Except for certain disclosures ' such as to the consumer or law enforcement, or for disclosures “incident to the ordinary course of business” of the video tape service provider, defined as “debt collection activities, order fulfillment, request processing, and the transfer of ownership.”
18 U.S.C. '2710(a)(4).
Law Firms are Reducing Redundant Real Estate by Bringing Support Services Back to the Office
A trend analysis of the benefits and challenges of bringing back administrative, word processing and billing services to law offices.
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Bit Parts
Summary Judgment Denied Defendant in Declaratory Action by Producer of To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway Play Seeking Amateur Theatrical Rights
Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes
“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.
Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel
'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.