MAN SUES NEWS MAGAZINE FOR SELLING LIST OF NAMES.Byline: Anne Gearan Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Ram Avrahami believes his name is worth something, and if magazines, record clubs and credit card companies can buy and sell it, he ought to get a share of the profits. Avrahami, a 33-year-old former marketing manager for a phone company, is suing U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report Weekly newsmagazine published in Washington, D.C. U.S. News was founded in 1933 by David Lawrence (1888–1973) to cover important domestic events; he founded World Report in 1945 to treat world news. The two magazines were merged in 1948. , arguing that the magazine had no right to sell his name and address to another company without his permission. "It is unfair to me. Actually it is unfair to me twice," he said Tuesday. "The magazine sells my name without asking me, and then I receive the junk mail See spam and junk faxes. for which I really have no use." Representatives of the direct-marketing industry say the lawsuit is unfounded, and they fear devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. consequences if Avrahami prevails. "Look at it this way: If I want to send you something and have to call you or write you to make sure it's OK to send you this material, do you know what it's going to do to the direct-marketing industry?" said Ed Burnett, a direct-mail consultant in New Jersey. "It's going to kill it, that's what it's going to do." The lawsuit is not the first to challenge direct-mail marketing direct-mail marketing Method of merchandising in which the seller's offer is made through mass mailing of a circular or catalog or through a newspaper or magazine advertisement, and in which the buyer places an order by mail, telephone, or Internet. , but it apparently is the first to target the seller of a mailing list rather than the buyer. Challenges to the direct-mail industry on the grounds that receiving uninvited un·in·vit·ed adj. Not welcome or wanted: uninvited guests. uninvited Adjective not having been asked: uninvited guests mail violates a person's privacy rights have failed. On Tuesday, a judge threw out Avrahami's case on technical grounds and instructed him to refile his lawsuit in a higher court. Avrahami said he will do that. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Photo (Color) Ram Avrahami arrives at court Tuesday for his hearing against the U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press |
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