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| Your Privacy |
ALM, Inc. (ALM) has adopted information management guidelines that define our customer
and advertiser relationships. These guidelines disclose the privacy policies applied
to information obtained and exchanged via this Web site, www.benchbooks.com.
Any questions about this privacy statement, requests to correct or clarify your
personally identifying information, or requests to modify your "opt-out" preferences
can be directed to:
Jill Windwer,
(212) 313-9009, ALM, 345 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010.
Changes to this Privacy Statement
From time to time, ALM may use customer information for new purposes not previously
disclosed in this privacy notice. If our information practices change at some time
in the future we will post the policy changes here to notify you of these changes
and provide you with the ability to opt out of these new uses. If you are concerned
about how your information is used, you should check back to our Web site periodically.
WHAT INFORMATION DOES ALM GATHER AND/OR TRACK ABOUT YOU?
When you register to receive ALM products, whether those products are free (such
as the Daily Legal Newswire) or paid (such as a subscription to a Practice Center
or a book purchase), ALM may require that you supply personal information, including,
but not limited to, your full name, e-mail address, contact information, and a unique
subscriber ID. ALM may also require demographic information (e.g., whether you are
an attorney and for what type of entity you work). Customers must also agree to
the Terms and Conditions of Use
applicable to the product for which they are registering. In some instances, we
also collect credit card information to bill subscribers for premium products.
Personally Identifying Information
Free E-Mails: When you sign-up to receive free ALM e-mail information bulletins,
ALM requires that you supply your name and e-mail address.
Anonymous Information
ALM may also gather anonymous information, which may be used by ALM or
shared with third parties. This information does not personally identify you but
may be helpful for improving the services we offer. Generally this information is
collected through "traffic data" and may entail the use of "cookies," "IP addresses,"
or other numeric codes used to identify a computer.
Cookies: "Cookies" give users a special, random ID that are small text files, which
are stored on the hard drive of a user's computer. ALM employs cookies to recognize
you and your access privileges for certain locations on the Web site, as well as
to track site usage. Subscribers who do not accept cookies from the Web site cannot
access many areas of the Web site. ALM also uses an advertising server developed
by a third party, currently DoubleClick, to display ads on the Web site. Some of
these ads may contain cookies that are set by third parties (i.e., advertising agencies
or advertising clients). ALM does not have access to these cookies or any information
that they may contain.
IP Addresses: ALM also logs IP addresses for systems administration and troubleshooting
purposes. (Your IP address indicates the location of your computer on the Internet.)
ALM does not log IP addresses to track your session, nor do we link IP addresses
to anything personally identifiable.
Credit Card Information: If you use a credit card to pay for an ALM product, we
may retain your credit card information in order to renew your account in the event
you elect to renew your subscription. When we do retain credit card information,
we keep it secure and separate from other demographic information you may have given
us. We do not share credit card information internally within divisions of ALM.
WITH WHOM DOES ALM SHARE THE INFORMATION IT GATHERS AND/OR TRACKS?
Personally Identifying Information
ALM takes the privacy of its customers seriously. You have the ability
to control how we use your personally identifying information by telling us if you
wish to opt-out of certain uses of your information, as described in greater detail
in the "Opting Out" provision below.
ALM may, on occasion, choose to share personally identifying information collected
about subscribers with select third parties whose products or services we feel may
be of interest to you. Many of our subscribers find these e-mail promotions valuable,
whether they are shopping for merchandise, taking advantage of a special offer,
or purchasing unique services. If you prefer not to have your personally-identifying
information shared with select third parties, please see the "Opting Out"
provision below.
Personal information about you as an individual subscriber or registrant may be
shared, regardless of your "opt-out" status, in the following instances:
Compliance with Law: ALM may release information if it is required to do so by law
or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (1) comply with the
law or comply with legal process served on ALM; and (2) protect and defend the legitimate
business interests, rights or property of ALM, its users, advertisers, customers,
sponsors, advertisers or affiliates.
Vendors: ALM may on occasion use third-party vendors to assist it in performing
its business functions, such as mailing statements to subscribers, editing user
lists, processing data and payments, and providing customer service. Personal information
may be shared with these businesses or individuals to allow them to perform their
assigned functions, but is limited to that information needed to perform the assigned
function, and may not be used for any other purpose.
Organizational Changes: Should ALM undergo a sales, merger, consolidation, change
in control, transfer of substantial assets, reorganization or liquidation, ALM's
accumulated customer information will be treated as an asset and, like other business
assets, subject to transfer to or acquisition by a third party.
Customer Requests for Personal Information: Upon your request, ALM will provide
you with its record of the personal information you gave us at registration. For
security reasons, this information will only be sent to the e-mail address on file
for the subscriber ID associated with it.
Correspondence with ALM: If you send ALM personal correspondence, such as e-mails
or letters, or if other users or third parties send correspondence to ALM about
your activities or postings on the Web site, ALM may collect such information into
a file specific to you. All submissions become property of ALM.
Anonymous Information
ALM also shares the information it gathers in a compiled format with advertisers
and other partners. The compiled format does not include personally identifying
information.
WHAT DOES ALM DO WITH THE INFORMATION IT GATHERS AND/OR TRACKS?
Statistical Analysis and Banner Advertising: ALM may perform statistical
analyses of user behavior in order to measure interest in the various areas of our
site (for product development purposes) and to inform advertisers as to how many
consumers have seen or "clicked" their advertising banners. ALM also uses demographic
information to allow advertising banners on the Web site to be targeted to the readers
for whom they are most pertinent. This means that readers will see advertising that
is most likely to interest them, and advertisers send their messages to people who
are most likely to be receptive, improving both the user's experience and the effectiveness
of the ads. In this statistical analyses and banner advertisement targeting, we
will disclose information to third parties only in aggregate form, with no personally
identifiable information.
Data Security: To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure
the appropriate use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic,
and managerial procedures to protect the information we collect online, including
SSL security for credit card submissions. Detailed information about SSL is available
from Netscape.
Account Maintenance: ALM may utilize the contact information you provided at registration,
such as your telephone number and e-mail address, to contact you regarding account
status, changes to the subscriber agreement, and to confirm registration.
Service Updates and E-Mail Promotions: Using the contact information and e-mail
addresses provided at registration, ALM periodically sends promotional messages
to its users about services offered by ALM and notifies users of new features or
changes that may be made to these services. ALM may also elect to send promotional
messages on behalf of selected third parties whose products or services we think
may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive promotional mail or e-mails
from ALM, please see the "Opting Out" provision below.
THIRD PARTY PARTNERS AND LINKS TO OTHER WEB SITES
ALM is not responsible for the content or the privacy policies of Web sites
to which it may link. This policy applies solely to information collected by ALM.
ALM Provider Partner Products & Services: While visiting the Web site, you may decide
to purchase a product or service through one of our provider partners whose services
are promoted or advertised on the site. If you do so, you will be acting under the
guidelines of the third party provider's privacy policy, if it has one. ALM cannot
make guarantees or warranties as to the nature of a third party's use of your personal
information.
A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT CHILDREN AND NON-U.S. USERS
The Web site is directed to adults and not directed to children under the
age of 13. ALM asks that minors not submit any personal information to us. ALM complies
with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and does not permit registration
by and will not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone
under 13.
All users, including those users who access the Web site from a country other than
the U.S., agree that the laws of the State of New York shall govern any dispute,
including those arising from ALM's use of personal information or otherwise relating
to privacy, as specified in the
Terms and Conditions of Use .
OPTING-OUT, CORRECTIONS AND CANCELLATIONS
Upon request, ALM will (a) remove you and your personal information from
our mailing and e-mail lists, thereby canceling your registration, (b) correct personal
information that you state is erroneous, (c) manage your promotional e-mail preferences
for you, and/or (d) manage your preferences for sharing personally identifying information
for you. Please direct your inquiry to:
jwindwer@amlaw.com,
(212) 313-9009, ALM, 345 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010.
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