Rhode Island § 11-18-32 - Fraud and False Dealing

§ 11-18-32. Video, audio and publication rentals.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to reveal, transmit, publish, or disseminate in any manner, any records which would identify the names and addresses of individuals, with the titles or nature of video films, records, cassettes, or the like, which they purchased, leased, rented, or borrowed, from libraries, book stores, video stores, or record and cassette shops or any retailer or distributor of those products, whether or not the identities and listings are kept in a remote computing service or electronic storage or the disclosure is made through or by a remote computing service. It shall not be unlawful to make disclosures to other employees of the library or business incident to the normal course of their work or pursuant to lawful compulsion.

(b) All records of such transactions shall be maintained as confidential and may only be released by written waiver.

(c) Any person, firm, or corporation violating the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine in an amount not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000) per violation, or by imprisonment not exceeding six (6) months, or both.

(d) Any person injured as a result of a violation of this section may bring a civil action against the violator for actual damages or two hundred fifty dollars ($250), whichever is greater, for each violation, plus reasonable attorneys’ fees and court costs.