Room Rental Site Sued Over Chimerical Reviews and Listings -
FTC keeps promise to ramp up negative attention on false positives -
Ghosted -
Remember the first time you hunted for your own apartment? The anguish of...more
9/26/2023
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Burger King ,
Class Action ,
Copyright ,
Derivative Works ,
Direct Infringement ,
Discount Pricing ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Fake Reviews ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Internet Retailers ,
Marketing ,
NAD ,
Online Reviews ,
Photographs
“Blessing Loom” Scheme Unravels in FTC Settlement -
Esoteric trappings can’t save pyramid-scheme-by-another-name -
Neolawgism -
By certain ironclad laws of demography, we aren’t allowed to add terms to the...more
8/25/2023
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Class Action ,
COPPA ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
False Advertising ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Marketing ,
MLM ,
MLM Industry ,
Parental Consent ,
Personal Information ,
Photographs ,
Product Labels ,
Pyramid Schemes ,
Robocalling ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Unfair Competition ,
USPTO ,
Verification Requirements
FTC Lays Out Some AI Ad Essentials -
But specific guidance isn’t here yet, so...let’s be careful out there....more
5/24/2023
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Google ,
Holidays ,
Marketing ,
Misleading Statements ,
Nutrition Facts Labels ,
Public Meetings ,
Puffery ,
Snapchat
Getty Images Sues AI Image Generator for Copyright Violations -
The intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law is still being mapped....more
2/24/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Artists ,
Blockchain ,
Breach Notification Rule ,
Class Action ,
Copyright ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptoassets ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Getty Images ,
NAD
20 Years Later, TTB Agrees to Revisit Alcohol Labeling -
Watchdogs claim a win, but are they being set up for a wait? Again?
Anticipation -
When last we left the doughty heroes of the Center for Science in the...more
12/19/2022
/ Advertising ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Class Action ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Influencers ,
NAD ,
Product Labels ,
Right of Publicity ,
Subscription Services ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Wine & Alcohol
TTAB Emancipates “Queen of Christmas” from Mimi -
Mariah Carey lets mark registration go unchallenged -
Breakdown -
Mariah Carey takes a lot of guff for...strange behavior. We won’t review the stories here; poring...more
12/12/2022
/ Business Opportunity Laws ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Gaming ,
Holidays ,
Music ,
Online Gaming ,
Place of Origin ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Unfair Competition ,
USPTO
IDAC to Ed Tech: Get Your Act Together -
Post-COVID-19 learning app boom puts kids at risk, watchdogs say -
An Embarrassment of Horrors -
As if school-age children didn’t have enough to worry about.
From the...more
9/26/2022
/ Advertising ,
Auto-Renewal ,
Class Action ,
Endorsements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Marketing ,
Online Advertisements ,
Students ,
Subscription Services ,
Technology ,
Testimonial Statements
FCC Slams American Scammers for 8 Billion Robocalls -
With too many calls to document, carriers are ordered to pull the switch on traffic -
One Robo to Call Them All -
What sort of activity earns a court order, a public...more
8/16/2022
/ Advertising ,
Class Action ,
Divorce ,
Electronic Fund Transfer Act ,
False Advertising ,
Fashion Industry ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Greenwashing ,
H&M ,
Influencers ,
Marketing ,
Military Service Members ,
Robocalling ,
Scams ,
Social Networks ,
Spoofing ,
State Attorneys General ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Veterans
Will Coppertone Get Burned for Its Labels?
Consumer class action alleges sunscreens are all the same -
It’s Not Much, But It’s Something -
Through the years, Coppertone - the sun protection products brand owned...more
8/3/2022
/ Advertising ,
Brand ,
Class Action ,
Confidential Information ,
Consumer Product Companies ,
Copyright ,
Corporate Branding ,
Do Not Call List ,
False Advertising ,
Logos ,
Marketing ,
Mobile Apps ,
Product Labels ,
Product Packaging ,
Standing ,
Subscription Services ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages ,
Trade Secrets ,
Unfair Competition ,
YouTube
No More Social Fix for Cali Kids?
New state bill targets social media addiction -
Vertigo 2.0 -
There’s a tidal wave of anger against social media. And every time it seems to crest, another swell comes up from...more
6/17/2022
/ Advertising ,
Advertising to Minors ,
Case Consolidation ,
Class Action ,
FCC ,
Foreign Entities ,
Internet Retailers ,
Minors ,
Mobile Apps ,
NAD ,
New Rules ,
Online Platforms ,
Pricing ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Retailers ,
Robocalling ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Social Media ,
Spoofing ,
Telecommunications ,
Telephone Service Providers ,
Unfair Competition ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Plaintiffs’ bar goes after Ricola for promoting inactive ingredients -
Please Ignore This Section if You Are Easily Annoyed -
Let’s unpack, for just a moment, one of the most oft-cited television commercials of all...more
6/3/2022
/ Advertising ,
Alternative Medicine ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Class Action ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
For Profit Education ,
Labeling ,
Made in the USA ,
Manufacturers ,
Misleading Statements ,
NAD ,
Natural Products ,
Nutrition Facts Labels ,
Puffery ,
Zillow
NAD Won’t Rename Supplement Maker -
Innovix Pharma loses on product claims but gets to keep its calling card.
Nerding Out -
Aside from the intricacies of advertising, advertising law, and the disputes engendered...more
5/13/2022
/ Advertising ,
Class Action ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Marketing ,
Health Claims ,
Marketing ,
Misleading Statements ,
NAD ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Telemarketing ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
We’re all familiar with the promise of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Businesses are exploring uses for them from video games to concert tickets, and there is a burgeoning marketplace that includes art, music, collectibles and...more
4/29/2022
/ Advertising ,
Breach of Contract ,
Class Action ,
Digital Assets ,
Distributors ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Labeling ,
Made in the USA ,
Misleading Statements ,
Negligence ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Product Labels ,
Security Breach
Trade Secret Case Unravels Unequal Fashion Partnership -
Small designer Mrinalini accuses fashion giant Valentino of spying, stealing and worse.
The Royal She -
In high fashion, creative output is the whole game -...more
4/15/2022
/ Breach of Contract ,
Class Action ,
Conversion ,
Copyright ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fashion Branding ,
Fashion Design ,
Fashion Industry ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Labeling ,
Lanham Act ,
Misappropriation ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Product Labels ,
Robocalling ,
Trade Secrets ,
Unfair Competition ,
Unjust Enrichment
CafePress Owners Nabbed for Failing to Protect Consumer Data -
Company left Social Security numbers out and unencrypted, then hid the data breach...more
3/31/2022
/ Advertising ,
Children's Products ,
Class Action ,
Country of Origin ,
Data Breach ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Internet Retailers ,
Natural Products ,
Personal Information ,
Product Labels ,
Sensitive Personal Information
Bunny v. Smaug -
Did Annie’s smack down a snack-box slack-fill strike suit? ...more
2/17/2022
/ AMG Capital Management LLC v FTC ,
Chemicals ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dietary Supplements ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Price Gouging ,
Product Packaging ,
Scams ,
Slack-Fill Suits ,
Unfair Competition
FTC Wants Input on Impersonation - COVID-19 era sees flood of fakery, but why? Trendlines - It’s a common theory that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated changes that were already bubbling beneath the surface of our lives —...more
Split FTC Moves Ahead with Fines - New Nectar Sleep consent order proves the Commish isn’t down for the count - Perchance to Scheme? Nectar Sleep—the upstart mattress manufacturer and daughter company of Resident Home...more
Starbucks Ads are Up to Puff, For Now - Pity the puff – so often cited as a reason why an advertising statement is not a claim, yet so rarely with success. And just by way of a quick review, a puff is an advertising statement...more
CARU Pats Unity Technologies on Back, Sends It on Its Way - Inquiry into possible COPPA violations finds the company clean as a whistle - Kumbaya - Normally our newsletter is filled with reports of chicanery,...more
BakerHostetler 2021 Data Security Incident Response Report – Disruption and Transformation - The report provides risk mitigation and compromise response intelligence from more than 1,250 data security incidents the firm...more
5/12/2021
/ Advertising ,
Class Action ,
COPPA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dietary Supplements ,
False Advertising ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Labeling ,
Product Labels ,
Robocalling ,
Scams
DraftKings Settles Class Action Lawsuit for $8 Million - Settlement is a hybrid payment whose lion’s share is in-game currency - Two Fair Households - It wasn’t too long ago that DraftKings and FanDuel, the biggest names in...more
FTC Shines Light Inside ‘Dark Patterns’ - Move over cookies, fingerprinting, ad trackers—there’s an old species of internet chicanery in town - Everything Old … It’s hard to find a nongovernmental clearing house filled with...more
3/12/2021
/ Advertising ,
Arbitration ,
Class Action ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
In-Game Purchases ,
Internet Streaming ,
Loot Boxes ,
Marketing ,
Settlement ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Websites
Sean Combs Opens New Front in War Against GBG Sean John - Accuses majority holder of using election-related trademarks to sell goods - Puffy Prologue - The lawsuit between Sean John Combs (AKA Puff Daddy, AKA P. Diddy, AKA...more
3/8/2021
/ Advertising ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Class Action ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Genericide ,
Marketing ,
Name and Likeness ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Google Bests Consumer Class Action with Section 230 Defense - But district court leaves door open for an amended complaint - Four Americans = 12 Opinions - The tsouris invoked by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act...more
2/26/2021
/ Advertising ,
Class Action ,
Communications Decency Act ,
Farm Animals ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
In-Game Purchases ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Platforms ,
Section 230 ,
Video Games