PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - False and Misleading Advertising, Label Review
DREO advertises that it is the “No. 1 Fan and Heater Brand” in the United States. Lasko, a competitor, thinks that it is, in fact, the “number 1” brand in both of those categories. Because there can’t be two “number 1”...more
Simpler Hair Color (or “SHC”) advertises that its products are “Rated #1 Men’s Hair Color” and “Rated #1 Men’s Hair & Beard Color” based on “Trustpilot.com verified reviews.” Combe, a competitor, challenged the #1 claims...more
This one-hour CLE session focuses on defending against false advertising and trademark claims, providing practical strategies for brand owners facing allegations of misleading advertising or trademark infringement. The...more
Last year, T-Mobile ran a commercial in which Snoop Dogg breaks down Patrick Mahomes’ “top three plays of the day” with additional commentary from influencer Kai Cenat. Mahomes scrambles into a T-Mobile store with a “little...more
Barry M. Benjamin, managing partner of Kilpatrick’s New York office and chair of its Advertising and Marketing group, was honored to present alongside La Toya Sutton of the Clorox Company, at the American Conference...more
On January 30, 2025, the CFPB issued an order against a remittance company for misleading consumers about fees and failing to provide accurate disclosures, harming consumers who relied on the company’s representations when...more
The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau is just like us! They seem to watch “Love Island” and maybe even “Too Hot to Handle” (#blushing) if the latest news is any indicator....more
Welcome to Wiley’s update on recent developments and what’s next in consumer protection at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In this newsletter, we analyze recent regulatory...more
The National Advertising Division (NAD) issues decisions on a periodic basis involving advertising claims submitted to it for review. Although the full case decisions are not publicly available without a subscription, the...more
Intuit, Inc. certainly had a disparate week in the world of advertising, with the high of sponsoring the AFC and NFC championship games and the low of an order finding that it had engaged in deceptive advertising. Just a few...more
Advertisers wishing to emphasize their environmental progressiveness often assert that their products or processes are "carbon neutral." This is meant to convey that there are no net emissions of carbon associated with the...more
Last June, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released its revised Endorsement Guides, the handbook for business practices that may be unfair or deceptive in violation of the FTC Act. The Endorsement Guides had been last...more
On September 20, 2023, the SEC adopted final amendments to Rule 35d-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Names Rule”). Under the Names Rule, originally adopted in 2001, funds registered under the Investment Company...more
On September 20, the SEC adopted amendments (as set forth in the final rule and as discussed in the fact sheet) to the Investment Companies Act rule that requires investment companies whose names suggest a focus in a...more
On July 25, 2023, Representative Ted Lieu and 19 other Democratic lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting that the Department of Justice...more
There are some stories that we cover whose underlying facts just teeter on the edge of being a fully formed Onion article....more
The Business Opportunity Rule (“Biz Opp Rule”) was first adopted in 2012. It applies to commercial arrangements where a seller solicits a prospective buyer to enter into a new business, the prospective purchaser makes a...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
The days of managing website archives with printouts or screenshots are long gone since modern sites contain thousands of complex pages for a single enterprise. However, even with such a large data burden, regulatory...more
When it comes to making sure financial data is safe and meets compliance regulations, understanding the different regulatory bodies that affect the mortgage industry is a vital first step. Here are just a few to consider....more
In the end, the foundation just wasn't solid. That's what a Vermont federal court found when it dismissed a competitor's suit against Zillow, finding the plaintiff had no standing to sue on the consumer's behalf and...more
A growing list of celebrities find themselves the recipients of letters from a certain advertising watchdog, and it's not fan mail they've been getting....more
Regulatory scrutiny of advertising has ramped up significantly over the past year, and nowhere more so than with (1) environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, and (2) social media influencers and the Federal Trade...more
To encourage transparency and compliance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act and address current practices and trends, the FTC first published the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in...more
China’s Influencers Suffer Great Leap Backward - The party’s central Internet authority aims to curb rampant celebrity “extravagance” - Oversight, or Overlook? With all the negative attention online culture and social media...more