Likely New Privacy Litigation in 2005 Will Be a Focus of P&AB's Privacy Year

While spam and telemarketing account for half of all new consumer privacy court cases in 2004 and early 2005, Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) related cases are beginning to hit the circuit, according to Dr. Alan Westin, President & Publisher of Privacy & American Business (P&AB). He and co-host Bob Belair, V.P. of P&AB and Partner at Oldaker, Biden and Belair, will examine the litigation hot spots of 2004 and project the cases the courts will hear in 2005 as part of P&AB's February 16 Tele/Web Conference, "Privacy Year in Review, Projections and Trends for 2005."

"Spam and telemarketing were the big litigation stories of 2004, but we are tracking some 237 cases involving 331 different companies across the consumer industry spectrum, including healthcare," Dr. Alan Westin said. "Understanding the issues these cases are turning on and what the new breakthrough issues will be in 2005 will be significant for companies' strategic planning going forward."

Aside from the 26 new spam and 17 new telemarketing suits, there were six new cases brought in 2004 related to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act, including two for violations of the FTC Safeguards Rule and two for failure to have privacy policies. A closer look at the GLB Safeguards Rule is available in the latest issue of P&AB's Electronic Newsletter. Visit www.pandab.org for more information.

Register Today

For 12 years, P&AB's Alan Westin and Bob Belair have reviewed the past year in privacy at its annual national conferences and predicted what lies ahead. This year, on February 16, they will offer predictions at its first Tele/Web Conference on this vital topic. This virtual event is set for Wednesday, February 16, 2005 at 2:00 PM EST. Details are posted at www.pandab.org and www.privacyexchange.org.

CLE Credits

Participants in P&AB events have received Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits. P&AB will help Tele/Web Conference participants earn their CLE credits by providing materials, but cannot apply on their behalf.

Media Contact:
Irene Oujo
ioujo@pandab.org
(201) 996-1154

SOURCE: Privacy & American Business