Netflix court DVD class action and compensation?

[barend31]

I'm a tad fuzzy on exactly what happens if Netflix has to fold and pay compensation. I know some charities will get money...but the settlement is for millions. Why are we, the customers included? Should we remain quiet or does one need to exclude oneself and hire an attorney? (not that I would)

[ryscford]

It's a typical class action suit. The only people who actually make money are the lawyers. The rest of us customers will probably get a coupon good for a free movie rental, or maybe $1 off our monthly bill for two or three months.

[janismilton]

Netflix has been sending emails to customers notifying them of a $9 million settlement that will benefit nonprofit privacy groups and as a part of the settlement, Netflix has agreed to change its data retention policies so it will no longer link the customers with their rental histories after one year of canceled service. The class action had also claimed that Netflix violated the Video Privacy Protection Act by keeping records of videos that were watched by its customers for at least two years even after they cancelled. Netflix will also pay $9 million into a fund from which up to $2.25 million will pay attorney fees, up to $25,000 will cover expenses, and $30,000 will be paid to the six name plaintiffs, according to a press release. Have a look at this website http://www.classaction.ca/index.aspx for more details.