Hammack argues the VPPA consumer definition is not limited to video subscriptions
Joshua I. HammackCounsel for Michael Salazar at Supreme Court oral argument
Hammack argues that Congress did not limit consumer status to subscriptions for audiovisual goods or services.
“not in the definition of "consumer." That choice is dispositive.”
Original text

Where this statement fits
Paramount says a newsletter subscription does not confer video-privacy protections; Salazar disagrees
Paramount argues that the Video Privacy Protection Act protects a subscriber only when the subscription concerns audiovisual goods or services. Michael Salazar argues that his newsletter subscription is enough to qualify him as a consumer under the statute.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Counsel dispute the meaning of consumer in the Video Privacy Protection Act. The argument concerns who may sue; it is not a finding that every element of Salazar's claim has been proved.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Hammack distinguished the statute's definitions of provider, protected information and consumer.
After the quotation
His interpretation concerns who is protected by the statute; other liability requirements remain separate.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference is Paramount's narrow consumer definition. Hammack challenges that legal interpretation rather than defending Paramount's exclusion.
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The Dispute Index. "Hammack argues the VPPA consumer definition is not limited to video subscriptions". First published: 2026-10-17. Last updated: 2026-10-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/5891-hammack-argues-that-congress-did-not-limit-consumer