“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
On August 7, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency) published draft guidance aimed at assisting cosmetics companies with achieving and maintaining compliance with new cosmetic product facility...more
8/16/2023
/ Comment Period ,
Compliance ,
Cosmetics ,
Draft Guidance ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Labeling ,
Manufacturers ,
Personal Care Products ,
Product Packaging ,
Registration Requirement ,
Safety Standards
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
It’s hard to keep up with the ferment of controversy bubbling around OpenAI and its compatriots in the generative AI business. Lawsuits, lawsuits, lawsuits. Regulatory probes. Outright bans by sovereign nations. But when, by...more
7/28/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Authors ,
Authorship ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Derivative Works ,
DMCA ,
E-Commerce ,
Fair Use ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Machine Learning ,
Mobile Devices ,
Musical Sound Recordings ,
Personal Information ,
Scams ,
Smartphones
A potato-chip brand once famously boasted, “No one can eat just one.” And of course, no one can. But according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), you aren’t going to eat more than 16 (or 28 grams), because that is the...more
As we have written several times, the FTC has a lot on its plate with respect to rulemaking and proposed revisions to existing Guides. But that load just got a tad bit lighter, as the FTC released its revisions to the...more
7/3/2023
/ Advertising ,
Endorsements ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Endorsement Guidelines ,
Influencers ,
Marketing ,
Online Endorsements ,
Online Reviews ,
Proposed Rules ,
Social Media ,
Testimonial Statements
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
For those of you who worry about the partisan divide in our country, it’s nice to know that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) has once again brought an often sharply divided Supreme Court to unanimity....more
U.S. Copyright Office Keeps AI Out in the Cold -
Only humans can copyright, Office says -
Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer True -
The Copyright Office has weighed in with long-anticipated statement of policy...more
4/17/2023
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Authorship ,
Consumer Complaint System ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Applications ,
Copyright Office ,
Copyright Registration ,
Copyright Terms ,
E-Commerce ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Labeling ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Machine Learning ,
Mobile Apps ,
Music ,
New Guidance ,
Product Labels ,
Royalties ,
Song Lyrics ,
Subscription Services
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
There are some stories that we cover whose underlying facts just teeter on the edge of being a fully formed Onion article....more
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
Late last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it was examining the Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, better known as the Green Guides. Consumer and industry interest in green marketing is...more
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
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
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
Introducing Our Secret Plan to Fight Inflation -
It’s simple: Don’t fall afoul of the FTC -
’Twas Ever Thus -
Every year, like the swallows returning to Capistrano, the Perseid meteor shower, or a Real Housewives...more
1/30/2023
/ Advertising ,
Competition ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Corporate Branding ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Fashion Branding ,
Fashion Industry ,
FDA Approval ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Greenwashing ,
Money Laundering ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Product Labels ,
Restitution ,
UK ,
Unfair Competition ,
Warning Letters ,
Websites ,
Wire Fraud ,
Zara
On Jan. 23, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized industry guidance for clinical research using cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds, Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds: Quality Considerations for Clinical...more
1/30/2023
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Cannabis Products ,
Clinical Trials ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
DEA ,
Farm Bill ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Hemp ,
Investigational New Drug Application (IND) ,
New Guidance ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
THC
My family knows that I get grumpy if we get to the theater after the previews have started, as previews are among my favorite parts of the in-theater versus stream-from-home experience. Yet many moviegoers may feel that the...more
The days are short and the nights are long, but at least we have the monthly public Federal Trade Commission (FTC) meeting to keep us entertained and informed during these cold months. And we had a bit of an unusual agenda...more
In 1998, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued “Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide for Industry,” and for years that document served as an important starting point for analyzing health claims for dietary...more
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