A settlement has been reached in a Crunchyroll lawsuit against the company Crunchyroll, LLC. In this class action, it was accused of disclosing its subscribers to third parties without their consent. The Video Privacy Protection Act defines the information identifying a specific person as having specific video materials from a video service provider.
However, the defendants mean that the company Crunchyroll denied that they violated the law. Still, Sony Picture Entertainment agreed to settle the issue to avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with the case.
The lawsuit, filed in September 2022, claimed that Crunchyroll and Sony violated the Video Privacy Protection Act by providing information to Meta and other third parties without consent. The company did not accept the claim but entered a settlement in the US District Court to resolve the claims with the defendants.
How is Eligible to File a Claim?
The people who are Crunchyroll users live in the United States and registered on the website, mobile app, and video-on-demand service owned or operated by Crunchyroll between September 8, 2020, and September 23, 2023.
The persons will be eligible to receive a pro-rata portion of the settlement fund, of which class counsel anticipates $30; however, the exact amount is not known yet.
legal Rights and Options in Crunchyroll Lawsuit Settlement
Here are the legal rights and options in the settlement
- Submit a claim form to receive payment by December 12, 2023
- Exclude Yourself by November 27, 2023: you will not receive benefits but will retain the rights you have to sue the defendant.
- Object by November 27, 2023: write the court and explain why you don’t like the settlement.
- Go to the Hearing on December 19, 2023: speak in court about your opinion of the settlement.
- Customers will receive the settlement benefits and give up their right to sue the defendant about the claims.
Claim forms can be submitted online at the settlement administrator’s website. The administrator also includes the class member ID in an email. The final hearing is scheduled for December 19, 2023. The eligible member will receive the payment after 90 days if the court approves the settlement.
The company has said that it has more than 10 million subscribers. Crunchyroll launched its first free, ad-supported streaming TV channel in the United States, including The Roku Channel, LG Channel, and Vizio Watch Free+ to win anime fans and turn them into subscribers.
Crunchyroll users submit a valid claim and can receive up to $30, which depends on the number of claims. In the final Hearing on Tuesday, it was decided that eligible users could receive the money within 90 days.
