OTTAWA, Canada — Following its $3.75 million class action suit settlement last week, Standard Innovation sent a letter to its partners offering more information about the settlement.
In one of the largest settlements involving a sex toy manufacturer, Standard Innovation agreed to pay about $3.75 million to resolve privacy claims involving its We-Vibe Classic and Rave by We-Vibe products.
Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit alleged that the vibes, designed to be used by couples, transmitted customer data and breached their privacy. Both products, according to the suit, allowed partners to control the devices via Bluetooth and a smartphone app.
Each of the plaintiffs in the suit who purchased the devices before September could receive payouts of up to $10,000 per device.
The suit alleged Standard Innovation used the app to harvest data, including temperature and intensity settings, about how customers used the vibrators.
The class settlement creates several ways for customers to collect — those who used the app to control the vibes will get up to $10,000 and those who purchased a connected device will receive up to $199.
Standard Innovation, in court papers, said that it “denied and continues to deny each and every allegation of wrongdoing and liability” and that it was prepared for a vigorous court battle. But the company also said that it didn’t want litigation to be long and drawn out.
Standard Innovation issued the following letter to partners:
“You’ve likely seen media coverage related to the settlement of a U.S. class action lawsuit naming Standard Innovation. We have agreed to settle this case so that we can focus on the business of designing and creating products. We’d like to provide you with more information for your customers.
We take customer privacy and data security seriously. It’s important to let consumers know that there has been no compromise of We-Vibe users’ personal information or data.
In September, we responded rapidly to concerns about We-Connect app privacy and security. We enhanced our privacy notice, increased app security, provided customers more choice in the data they share, and we continue to work with leading privacy and security experts to improve the app. More details of these changes are available on our website.
As with many apps, certain limited data is required for the app to work on an individual’s device. That data is used in an aggregate and anonymous form that does not personally identify any individual We-Connect app users. Consumers may also choose to use We-Vibe products without the app. You can direct customers to our app Privacy Notice for more information on our privacy and data practices.
The lawsuit is U.S.-based, and the settlement applies to individuals in the United States. The Court has appointed a third-party Settlement Administrator. The Settlement Administrator is responsible for posting a website with information about the settlement and for processing claims. You can direct consumers seeking more information to SICclassactionsettlement.com. We expect the website to be live no later than March 21, 2017.
The settlement covers two groups or classes. The Purchaser Class is for anyone in the United States who bought any of the following Bluetooth-enabled We-Vibe vibrators before September 26, 2016: We-Vibe Classic, We-Vibe 4 Plus, We-Vibe 4 Plus App Only, Rave by We-Vibe and Nova by We-Vibe products. The App Class includes anyone in the United States who downloaded the We-Connect application and used it to control one of the above listed products before September 26, 2016.
We value our business partners and thank you for continued support.”
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