The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan has allowed a putative class action under Michigan law to proceed against several magazine publishers that allegedly sold lists of their customers’ names, addresses, and subscription choices to third parties. Earlier this week, in a case styled Halaburda v. Bauer Publishing Co., Judge Steeh … Continue Reading
Last week, Judge Armstrong of the Northern District of California dismissed a putative class action against Pandora alleging the Internet radio service had violated two Michigan state statutes by disclosing to third parties information about the plaintiff’s listening activity. The plaintiff in Deacon v. Pandora Media, Inc. alleged that by (1) making publicly available his Pandora … Continue Reading
A federal district court in Michigan recently held that the federal CAN-SPAM Act preempts Michigan’s anti-spam law. Unlike the federal law, Michigan’s statute offers individuals who receive unsolicited commercial email, or “spam,” a private cause of action. The decision, by Judge Janet T. Neff of the Western District of Michigan in Hafke v. Rossdale Group, … Continue Reading
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has signed a legislative measure [PDF] that amends the state’s 2004 Identity Theft Protection Act (the “ITPA”). The measure, which was enacted to combat phishing scams and other online fraud, amends the ITPA in several significant respects: The new legislation makes it unlawful to gather personally identifying information through e-mail, a website, … Continue Reading
