Eye on the Market

Tune in to E-Discovery

The new federal rules regarding the legal discovery of electronic documents, which aim the judicial spotlight on the management of e-mail, became effective Dec. 1.

ARMA International (www.arma.org), the nonprofit professional association and an authority on managing records and information, is offering a number of podcasts that feature Judge Shira Scheindlin as she attempts to shed light on the new rules.

As a U.S. District Court Judge, Scheindlin (the keynote speaker at the organization’s conference in October of 2006) was a key contributor to the new rules and the presiding judge in the often-cited case of Zubulake vs. UBS Warburg.

During the Zubulake case, she issued five opinions that helped put the business world on notice regarding e-discovery. Scheindlin sanctioned UBS for not being able to complete its electronic discovery of potentially informative documents and not complying with its litigation hold on the destruction of documents. This case has been seen as the definitive case in the United States in a wide range of electronic discovery issues.

In addition to a podcast of Scheindlin’s keynote address in which she explains the new Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for managing records and information, ARMA also is offering a podcast of the facilitated question-and-answer period with Susan McKinney, CRM and president of ARMA International.

Scheindlin’s keynote address can be viewed on video at www.arma.org/podcast/rss/Scheindlinkeynote.cfm, and a copy of her slides and speech are available at www.arma.org/podcast/slides.pdf and http://www.arma.org/podcast/Speech.pdf, respectively.

Silex Technology America, Salt Lake City, has announced a partnership with Sig-Tec, Chanhassen, Minn., that integrates Silex’ S1 fingerprint reader into Sig-Tec’s Logical Access Security solution for healthcare.

The S1 fingerprint reader uses radio frequency to scan the inner layer of the skin, which provides a more accurate reading, according to the company. Silex also claims that when the radio frequency is amplified, the S1 can increase the device’s ability to read through some surgical gloves, making it convenient for use in health care settings.

John McGuire, national sales manager at Sig-Tec, says, "Silex’ S1 biometric fingerprint reader enables us to provide a system that produces an accurate read of any finger regardless of the environment."

More information on the S1 biometric fingerprint reader is available at www.silexamerica.com.

A restaurant manager unhappy with "dine and dash" customers came up with a solution that has been spiked by customers worried about identity theft.

According to Boston television station WCVB-TV and the Associated Press, the manager of an IHOP restaurant in Quincy, Mass., began demanding diners’ driver’s licenses.

Customer John Russo refused to hand over his license. The restaurant reportedly refused to seat Russo when he did not comply. "Identity theft is rampant," he said. "I wouldn’t want to give my license, with my address or Social Security number, to anyone that I’m not familiar with. I’m going just for breakfast."

IHOP’s corporate headquarters in Glendale, Calif., released a statement to WCVB-TV that reads, "This was done without the knowledge or approval of management…We apologize to any guest who was inconvenienced."