'Jane Doe' Actress Sues Amazon for Publishing Her Real Age on IMDb

An unnamed Texas actress is suing Amazon for more than $1 million, claiming the web giant invaded her privacy by using her credit-card details to publish her real age on its Internet Movie Database (IMDb) website.

In a complaint filed in a Seattle federal court, the 40-year-old "Jane Doe" says the only way IMDb could have found out her real age was if it had used her credit card details, obtained when she purchased an "industry insider" package from the website in the hope of gaining more work, PaidContent.org reported Monday.

The actress -- who says she uses a Westernized name to avoid the "cultural disadvantage" of her Asian name -- claims she has since lost out on work opportunities.

Contacted by AFP, Amazon spokeswoman Mary Osako declined to comment on the case, saying, "We have a long-standing practice of not commenting on active litigation."

The lawsuit, which seeks $75,000 plus $1 million in punitive damages, alleges that Amazon's "actions have had a double-whammy effect on the plaintiff's livelihood."

"First, because lesser-known forty-year-old actresses are not in demand in the entertainment business, plaintiff has suffered a substantial decrease in acting credits, employment opportunities and earnings," the suit says.

"Second, because plaintiff looks so much younger than her actual age indicates, plaintiff has experienced rejection in the industry for each 'forty-year-old' role for which she has interviewed."

IMDb, wholly-owned by Amazon, is an online database of movies, television shows, actors and other entertainment figures.