CSPI Urges Food Retailers, Congress to Make SNAP Decisions -
Marketing is as important as availability, food study finds -
Keep Your Government Hands off Our Food Stamps!
SNAP—or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance...more
11/10/2023
/ Comment Period ,
Data Collection ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Grocery Stores ,
Information Reports ,
Personal Data ,
Promotional Items ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Assistance ,
Public Health ,
Pyramid Schemes ,
Retailers ,
SNAP Program ,
Telemarketing ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule
Sunscreen Suits: A Plaintiff Will Rise?
New suit, same allegations—are counsel’s tan lines showing?
When Last We Met...
Here’s a brief follow-up to our summary of Akes v. Beiersdorf, Inc.—or, rather, a follow-on,...more
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
CSPI: Performance Enhancer Supplements Aren’t What They Seem -
Manufacturers need to start by including the advertised ingredients -
Double-Dog Dare You -
Would you eat something called Rauvolfia vomitoria? No? Of...more
8/11/2023
/ Advertising ,
Dietary Supplements ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Greenwashing ,
Health Claims ,
Made in the USA ,
Marketing ,
Procter & Gamble ,
Product Labels ,
Recycling ,
Starbucks ,
Tagline
Anti-Junk-Fee Bandwagon Is Getting Crowded -
Following a presidential call, Congress and the Golden State are looking to tame hidden charges -
Return to Mayberry -
We mentioned President Biden’s attack on junk...more
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
Rapper 50 Cent Settles with Plastic Surgery Clinician -
Claims clinic owner used snapshot to suggest ... something embarrassing -
A Question You Wouldn’t Ask in Person -
50 Cent—rapper, TV producer, actor—once...more
Advertisers likely recall that back in 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) created quite the stir when it sent to more than 700 companies warning letters that threatened penalties if companies engaged in deceptive...more
4/14/2023
/ Advertising ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Claims ,
Marketing ,
Product Labels ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Warning Letters
Consumer Sues Pyrex Maker for False Made-in-the-States Claims -
New class actions pick up where the FTC left off -
Tempest in a Ten-Piece Glass Meal Prep Set -
We love false made-in-the-USA claim narratives. They...more
3/10/2023
/ CAFA ,
Costco ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Made in the USA ,
Magnuson-Moss Act ,
Mobile Devices ,
NAD ,
PFAS ,
Product Labels ,
Recycling ,
Robocalling ,
TCPA
Last week, we blogged about an environmental ESG NAD challenge brought by an advocacy group; this week features a blog about an animal welfare ESG NAD challenge also brought by an advocacy group.
The challenge was...more
3/3/2023
/ Advertising ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Consumer Product Companies ,
False Advertising ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Health Claims ,
Labeling ,
Marketing ,
NAD ,
NARB
As consumers have increasingly looked to see whether the companies they do business with have taken steps to benefit the environment, companies have often responded by announcing environmental goals. Why goals?...more
Game Developer Dodges Loot Box Suit -
In-app epi-games are not the same as slot machines, court says.
Again with the Noises and Bright Lights -
It’s been a while since we reported on defendant Supercell’s...more
2/10/2023
/ Anti-SLAPP ,
Artistic Works ,
Breach Notification Rule ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptoassets ,
Data Breach ,
Data-Sharing ,
Endorsements ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
NYDFS ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
PHI ,
Protected Activity ,
Sensitive Personal Information ,
Stock Options ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademarks ,
Twitter
FTC Opens Green Guide Revision for Public Comment -
It’s the first revision in a new, environmentally panicked time -
The Greatest Generation -
The ’90s were an active decade for Federal Trade Commission (FTC)...more
1/4/2023
/ Advertising ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Failure To Disclose ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Green Guides ,
Influencers ,
Marketing ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Comment ,
Social Media ,
Subscription Services ,
TikTok ,
Truth in Advertising
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
CSPI to FDA: Move to the Front!
Watchdog barks at industry efforts to highlight nutrition facts -
Gesundheit FOPNL. It’s sweeping the globe. What is it, you ask? A new government agency? An awful skin condition? A...more
9/2/2022
/ Advertising ,
Children's Products ,
COPPA ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Influencers ,
Lanham Act ,
Made in the USA ,
Masks ,
Mobile Apps ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Nutrition Facts Labels ,
Personal Information ,
Product Labels ,
Right of Publicity ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademarks ,
Unfair Competition
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
If you have been to any kind of spa, beauty supply store or health food store in the past four years, chances are you have seen, if not purchased, a product with cannabidiol (CBD). The 2018 passage of the Farm Bill...more
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
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
What do bamboo fabric and green claims have to do with toys, weight loss, car rentals and fur coats? Sounds like the start of a Dad joke, but unfortunately this is no laughing matter. It is the FTC reaching back to bygone...more
The title of this series is an homage to the great Lesley Fair, who launched and authors many of the best of the FTC’s business blogs and who coined this term in her blog reviewing 2013 cases on the same topic. But we are...more
L’Oréal Gets Pancaked by False Origin Suit -
Famous beauty products made in...Arkansas? ...more
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
Prior to the new year, we blogged about how the Federal Trade Commission’s (Commission) decision to codify its Made in USA (MUSA) guidance into a rule – and the accompanying threat of civil penalties – makes it all the more...more
1/20/2022
/ Advertising ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Country of Origin ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Goods or Services ,
Made in the USA ,
Manufacturer Liability ,
Manufacturers ,
Marketing ,
Product Labels ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Retail Market ,
Supply Chain