IMDb seeks halt to law allowing actors to shield disclosure of their ages
The film and TV website IMDb is seeking to halt enforcement of a new California law that gives actors the power to remove information about their ages from their online profiles.
IMDb filed a First Amendment challenge to the law in November, and followed up on Thursday with a motion seeking a preliminary injunction, report the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, the Washington Post and the Hollywood Reporter.
The motion (PDF) argues the law can’t survive strict scrutiny because it isn’t narrowly tailored to achieve its stated purpose of preventing age discrimination against struggling actors.
The law, which took effect on Jan. 1, apparently applies only to IMDb and its related website for industry professionals, according to IMDb. Birth dates and ages are still available on Wikipedia, Google, Facebook fan pages, entertainment magazines and several other sources, the motion says.
The company is refusing to comply with the law at the risk of possible civil penalties.
