Jana Slavina Farmer (Partner-White Plains, NY) and Lioba Bakker (Associate-Los Angeles, CA) authored the article “Variety Media: The Appeal That Could Decide Whether CIPA Applies to Website Technologies,” appearing in the August 17, 2026, edition of the Daily Journal. The article analyzes the application of the 1967 California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) to modern website-tracking technologies and examines the potential legal impact of the pending appellate decision in Variety Media, LLC v. Superior Court on digital business liability and online privacy enforcement. The case concerns whether cookies, pixels, analytics tools, and other technologies that collect IP addresses, device identifiers, URLs, and related metadata constitute prohibited pen registers or trap-and-trace devices under CIPA, a decision that “could affect website operators across media, retail, technology, and e-commerce.” The authors explain that the case arises amid a growing wave of CIPA litigation that has produced “inconsistent trial court decisions, increased settlement pressure, and mounting uncertainty” for businesses operating websites in California. The article further highlights the practical tension between CIPA and California’s modern privacy framework, particularly the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which expressly regulates many of the same online technologies. Jana and Lioba characterize the pending matter as potentially providing “much-needed appellate guidance” in an area that has generated substantial litigation but little controlling California authority. Oral argument is scheduled for August 25, 2026.