In May 2020, Maryland made two major moves in the sports world: it legalized sports betting and passed a law allowing college athletes to profit from their names, images, and likeness. HB 940 legalizes sports betting and provides a framework for the industry to operate. It allows for in-person betting, including at major Maryland sports … Continue Reading
The New York State Legislature recently passed a bill that expands the State’s current laws to protect one’s right of publicity after death. Under current privacy laws in NY, permission is required to use a living individual’s name, voice, or likeness for commercial purposes (i.e., in advertising materials). While the bill – which awaits signature … Continue Reading
The New York Senate recently passed a bill that is expected to give New York residents a 90-day grace period to redeem credit card rewards after their account is changed, canceled, closed, or terminated. The bill will address issues where a cardholder’s account is closed without notice for inactivity, default, or delinquency – in such … Continue Reading
Last month, Florida Governor Ran DeSantis signed a new bill into law allowing college athletes to be paid for use of their names, images and likenesses. The new law is set to take effect on July 1, 2021 with the hopes that not only will other states follow Florida’s lead, but such state legislation will … Continue Reading
This month, an Illinois resident filed a proposed class action lawsuit in Illinois state court against the Chicago Blackhawks (the “Blackhawks”) alleging that the NHL team utilizes facial recognition technology at its home games in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”). According to the complaint, plaintiff Keith Allen attended a Blackhawks home … Continue Reading
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced two new actions under the Consumer Review Fairness Act (“CRFA”) against companies that allegedly used non-disparagement provisions in consumer “form contracts” in connection with their respective services to rent properties. These two actions follow the FTC’s inaugural CRFA actions against three companies last month, which we previously … Continue Reading
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced settlements with operators of a worldwide negative option scam, in which online marketers deceptively advertised “risk free” trial offers of its products, but charged consumers full price for the trial products and automatically enrolled them in negative-option continuity plans without their knowledge or consent. As we previously … Continue Reading
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued three separate proposed administrative complaints and orders enforcing the Consumer Review Fairness Act (“CRFA”) – the first enforcement actions since the CRFA went into effect in March 2017. The CRFA prohibits businesses from using “form contract” provisions that bar consumers from writing or posting negative reviews online, … Continue Reading
Jillian Petrera and Bretta Oluyede will be speaking on Tuesday, March 12th to the Association of National Advertisers. The free one-hour webinar, titled “What You Need to Know About Auto-Renewal Provisions in 2019” will explore the legal requirements for utilizing automatic renewals under the patchwork of federal and state laws and provide you with tools to mitigate … Continue Reading
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is underway, and companies and organizations around the world are analyzing its effects on how they collect, use, store and disclose data. U.S.-based sponsors of sweepstakes, contests, instant win games and other promotions opening entry to or targeting Europeans need to be mindful of the GDPR rules … Continue Reading
In enacting the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, Congress determined that the safeguards built into the statute should apply only to children under 13. It sought to focus the restrictions on collection and use of personal information on younger children who are particularly vulnerable to marketing tactics because of their unfamiliarity with advertising and the … Continue Reading
On May 14, 2018 the Supreme Court of the United States released its decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. This decision invalidates the key Federal prohibition on State-authorized sports gambling businesses, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). Under PASPA, except in connection with very narrow exemptions, States could not authorize entities … Continue Reading
Please join us on Tuesday, May 8th, 2018 at 1:00 pm eastern for a webinar providing an overview of TCPA exposure risks in telemarketing, including the risks for calls and SMS using an Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) and what previously constituted an ATDS under FCC guidance. It will also cover the recent D.C. Circuit Court … Continue Reading
A 2015 lawsuit brought by Facebook users over the company’s alleged unauthorized collection of their facial features and other facial biometric data pursuant to the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”) is slowly moving through the courts. The BIPA requires written notice and consent for the collection of biometric identifiers or biometric information of Illinois … Continue Reading
Suparossa Restaurant Group LLP, a Chicago-based restaurant company, has been served with a class action complaint alleging that the company has violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”). The BIPA is an informed consent statute that establishes standards for employers that collect and store the biometric information of Illinois citizens. The act makes it … Continue Reading
Kirkland, Inc. will face a putative class action for allegedly violating the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (“FACTA”). The plaintiffs filed their complaint against Kirkland in April 2017 for displaying the first six and the last four digits of their credit card or debit card numbers on their purchase receipts. According to the plaintiffs, … Continue Reading
An interview with Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes written by Divonne Smoyer and Kimberly Chow was featured in the IAPP Privacy Advisory on what to expect from states in 2018. To view it please click here.… Continue Reading
California’s proposed Automatic-Renewal Law (ARL) passed the state Legislature earlier this month, tightening the requirements on companies that sell subscription services with automatically renewing payments to consumers. The new law comes on the heels of a flurry of class actions suits filed under California’s previous ARL enacted in 2010. The 2010 ARL required auto-renewing consumer … Continue Reading
In a major victory for media and broadcast entities, the Supreme Court of Florida recently established that Florida law does not recognize exclusive copyright protections for sound recordings that were “fixed” before February 15, 1972. Sound recordings fixed after this date are governed by federal copyright law. This decision arose out of a copyright infringement … Continue Reading
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) released a policy enforcement statement to provide additional guidance under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) for organizations that use audio voice recordings of children. This additional guidance builds on the FTC’s 2013 updates to COPPA that brought additional data types, such as photographs, videos and audio … Continue Reading
In one of its final acts of the October 2016 term, the Supreme Court of the United States recently agreed to hear a New Jersey challenge to the constitutionality of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PAPSA”), a federal statute banning states from authorizing and regulating gambling on sporting events.[1] As we reported earlier … Continue Reading
Last month, Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that expressly allows motor vehicles with “automated driving systems” to operate on Texas highways. While Texas had previously been silent on the issue of driverless cars, Texas Senate Bill 2205 authorizes these vehicles to operate on the roadways, provided that the operators (who may or … Continue Reading
As we’re now less than a year away from the GDPR taking effect, there is a lot of confusion out there over myths versus reality. Reed Smith presenters will participate in a webinar hosted by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) that will explore the practical considerations and the new thinking that brands and their … Continue Reading
In a move to become the latest state to regulate daily fantasy sports (“DFS”), the Vermont Legislature has passed a bill defining fantasy sports games and directing the state attorney general and governor’s office to develop a registration fee and tax system for fantasy sports operators and players in the state. Additionally, the bill bars … Continue Reading
