Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a $1.1 million settlement with JBS USA Food Company and JBS USA Food Company Holdings (JBS) over allegations that the meat producer misled consumers about its...more
In her remarks at this year’s ANA Masters of Advertising Law Conference, Commissioner Melissa Holyoak of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) emphasized three areas where the agency is focusing its consumer protection...more
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office jointly filed suit against a group of tax debt relief companies operating under the “American Tax Service” brand, alleging the defendants...more
10/23/2025
/ Debt-Relief Industry ,
Deceptive Intent ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Gramm-Leach-Blilely Act ,
IRS ,
Misleading Statements ,
State Attorneys General ,
Tax Scams ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On September 30, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a $5.7 million settlement with Dun & Bradstreet, resolving allegations that the global provider of business-decisioning data and analytics, violated a prior 2022...more
10/3/2025
/ Advertising ,
Analytics ,
Automatic Renewals ,
Commercial Loans ,
Compliance Monitoring ,
Consent Order ,
Consumer Reporting Agencies ,
Credit Reports ,
Dun & Bradstreet ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Injunctions ,
Misleading Statements ,
Penalties ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump may remove Democratic Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioner Rebecca Slaughter without cause while her legal challenge to the termination proceeds....more
Chris Mufarrige, the director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, spoke last week at the National Advertising Division’s Annual Conference in Washington, providing further insight into how the FTC is thinking about...more
9/23/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
COPPA ,
Data Privacy ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fraud ,
FTC Act ,
NAD ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Section 5 ,
Trade Conference ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
This year’s National Advertising Division’s (NAD) Annual Conference demonstrated that the self-regulatory process remains an active venue for companies interested in challenging competitor advertising claims....more
9/22/2025
/ Advertising ,
Advertising Substantiation ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Influencers ,
Marketing ,
NAD ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Social Networks ,
Trade Conference
Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) together announced a settlement with Whaleco, Inc., the operator of Temu, over allegations that the online marketplace violated the...more
FTC Commissioner Mark Meador spoke at the National Advertising Division’s Annual Conference this week in Washington and provided some insight into his views on advertising and consumer protection....more
President Trump has signed a presidential memorandum, “Addressing Misleading Direct-To-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertisements.” ...more
9/16/2025
/ Advertising ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Influencers ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Social Networks ,
Telehealth
Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled President Trump’s removal of Democrat commissioners from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was unlawful. In a 2-1 decision, the panel held...more
9/9/2025
/ Administrative Agencies ,
Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Executive Powers ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Commissioners ,
Government Agencies ,
Judicial Authority ,
Removal For-Cause ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration
With regulators, lawmakers, and consumers increasingly focused on pricing transparency, understanding the legal treatment of surcharges, "junk fees," and disclosure practices is more important than ever. Recent federal and...more
7/25/2025
/ Advertising ,
California ,
Continuing Legal Education ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
E-Commerce ,
Fees ,
New York ,
Point of Sale Terminals ,
Price Transparency ,
Pricing ,
Surcharges ,
UDAP ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Webinars
On July 14, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona against a group of companies and individuals operating under the “Accelerated Debt” brand, alleging they...more
7/24/2025
/ Advertising ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Debt Relief ,
Elder Abuse ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fraud ,
FTC Act ,
Gramm-Leach-Blilely Act ,
Scams ,
Telemarketing ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule ,
Veterans
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a settlement with NextMed parent company Southern Health Solutions, Inc., in response to allegations that the telemedicine platform offered deceptive claims and fake...more
7/18/2025
/ Advertising ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
EFTA ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Failure To Disclose ,
Fake Reviews ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
FTC Act ,
Hidden Fees ,
Medicare ,
Online Reviews ,
Section 5 ,
Settlement ,
Telehealth ,
Testimonial Statements ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s Rule Concerning Subscriptions and Other Negative Option Plans (often referred to as the “Click-to-Cancel” rule) on July 8, just days...more
7/9/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Judicial Authority ,
Negative Option Rule ,
Regulatory Authority ,
ROSCA ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Subscription Services ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule ,
Vacated
On June 24, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Mercury Marketing, LLC, and several affiliated entities and individuals alleging that the...more
7/1/2025
/ Advertising ,
Affiliates ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Drug Treatment ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Lead Generators ,
Marketing ,
Scams ,
Substance Abuse ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
In a lawsuit that will likely be closely watched, Xlear, Inc.—a Utah-based manufacturer of xylitol-based hygiene products—has filed a federal lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and its chairman, Andrew N....more
6/27/2025
/ Administrative Authority ,
Advertising ,
Advertising Substantiation ,
Chevron Deference ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
First Amendment ,
FTC Act ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Manufacturers ,
Personal Care Products ,
Section 5 ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
In a development that underscores the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) growing scrutiny of the “merchant of record” model, the commission announced a $5 million settlement with UK-based Paddle.com Market Limited (Paddle),...more
6/23/2025
/ Consumer Protection Laws ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Know Your Customers ,
Payment Systems ,
ROSCA ,
Settlement ,
Subscription Services ,
Telemarketing ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule ,
UK ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
In a decision underscoring the complexity and risks of making environmental marketing claims, the National Advertising Division (NAD) issued a decision in a challenge brought by the International Bottled Water Association...more
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairman Andrew Ferguson has promised vigorous law enforcement under his leadership. Consistent with that promise, on June 10, 2025, the Commission announced a $1.9 million settlement with...more
6/16/2025
/ Advertising ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Marketing ,
Opioid ,
Settlement ,
Telemarketing
On May 15, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairman Andrew Ferguson testified before the House Appropriations Committee in support of the FTC’s budget request. His testimony provides insight into the agency’s downsizing and...more
5/27/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Online Safety for Children ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Robocalling ,
Scams ,
Small Business ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan ,
Subscription Services ,
Veterans
On Friday, the Federal Trade Commission voted to defer the compliance deadline for the amended Negative Option Rule by 60 days. The Commission issued a statement on the new deadline....more
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) aimed at helping businesses and consumers understand the agency’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, which takes effect on May...more
5/13/2025
/ Advertising ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Event Tickets ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Final Rules ,
Hospitality Industry ,
SBREFA ,
Small Business ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a proposed order requiring Workado, a company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) detection tools, to stop advertising the accuracy of its AI detection tools...more
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit in federal court against rideshare and delivery company Uber for allegedly deceptive subscription practices, including making it unreasonably difficult to cancel....more
4/25/2025
/ Automatic Renewals ,
Cancellation Rights ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Negative Option Rule ,
Ridesharing ,
Subscription Services ,
Uber ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices