Users of Crunchyroll, which has been accused of violating their privacy by some, have nine more days to submit a claim in a $16 million settlement with the streaming service.
Customers who utilize the streaming service have accused the corporation of giving third parties access to their personally identifiable information without their permission. Although Crunchyroll has denied breaking any laws, it accepted the payment to stop the legal action from continuing. The last day to submit a claim for the proposed settlement is December 12.
According to records submitted with the U.S. government, eligible recipients of the settlement are anticipated to receive around $30, although they may get more or less than that amount. the Northern District of Illinois District Court. Once the settlement has been given final court approval, the final sum will be disclosed.
A person must have been a registered user or have visited a website, app, or service owned, administered, or under the control of Crunchyroll between September 8, 2020, and September 20, 2023, in order to be eligible for the compensation. To be eligible to receive a payment from the settlement, eligible users of the service must file a claim online or by mail in an envelope postmarked by December 12.
Court-authorized website on details on how to file a claim:
- A class action lawsuit against Crunchyroll, LLC (“Crunchyroll” or “Defendant”) has achieved a settlement. Crunchyroll is facing a class action lawsuit alleging that it violated the Video Privacy Protection Act (often known as the “VPPA”) by providing personally identifiable information (“PII”) of its subscribers to other parties without their authorization. Information that identifies a particular person as having requested or received particular video materials or services from a video tape service provider is included in the VPPA’s definition of PII. The defendant has accepted the settlement in order to avoid the costs and uncertainty of pursuing the case, even though it denies having broken any laws.
- If you are a person in the United States who, between September 8, 2020, and September 20, 2023, (1) watched videos on an online website, mobile app, or any video-on-demand service or app owned, controlled, and/or operated by Crunchyroll; and (2) registered as a user of one of these platforms, you are entitled to participation.
- A pro rata, or equal, share of the Settlement Fund will be awarded to the parties involved in the settlement. Class Counsel estimates this portion will be about $30.00, although the precise amount may vary.
- Carefully read this webpage. It matters to your legal rights whether you take action or not.
| YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT |
| SUBMIT A CLAIM FORM BY DECEMBER 12, 2023 | This is the only way to receive a payment. |
| EXCLUDE YOURSELF BY NOVEMBER 27, 2023 | You will receive no benefits, but you will retain any rights you currently have to sue the defendant about the claims in this case. |
| OBJECT BY NOVEMBER 27, 2023 | Write to the court explaining why you don’t like the settlement. |
| GO TO THE HEARING ON DECEMBER 19, 2023 | Ask to speak in court about your opinion of the settlement. |
| DO NOTHING | You won’t get a share of the settlement benefits and will give up your rights to sue the defendant about the claims in this case. |
What is Crunchyroll?
Japanese anime is the main emphasis of the on-demand streaming service Crunchyroll, which was founded in 2006. With the greatest collection of licensed anime on streaming services, it is accessible globally. There are 120 million registered users and 5 million paying customers as of right now. The majority of Crunchyroll’s programming is available for free, which distinguishes it from its competitors. All it takes to stream your preferred anime programs and films is a free account registration. Don’t worry if you don’t know Japanese; there are many different languages available for translation, dubbing, and subtitles for anime series and films. Additionally, fresh anime TV programs can appear on the site up to an hour following their Japanese premiere.
You may read the manga (Japanese comics) that your favorite anime is based on if you can’t wait for the next season to air. There is a vast collection of manga on Crunchyroll, many of which are free to download.
Former competitor anime-focused streamer Funimation of Sony was a rival of Crunchyroll; however, starting March 1, 2022, all of Funimation’s programming that was not already on Crunchyroll is being transferred to Crunchyroll.
Early in December 2020, Sony said that Crunchyroll would be acquired by its Funimation anime subsidiary for a sum of $1.175 billion. In 2021, the agreement was accepted and sealed.
The two services were not sure how or even if they would continue to operate together, but they are now combining under the Crunchyroll brand. When Funimation will end completely is unknown.
As part of the merging process, current paying subscribers to Funimation will receive a complimentary 60-day trial of Crunchyroll Premium.
Customers of Funimation are unable to use their Funimation account details to log onto Crunchyroll. Instead, it is advised that they register for fresh Crunchyroll accounts. Although the business is working on it, Funimation digital copies, viewing history, and queue have not yet moved to Crunchyroll.
