Once Upon a Farm (OFarm) is an exemplary specimen of a now-familiar type of company - a self-proclaimed provider of “clean” baby food and snacks for older kids. OFarm’s packaging is what you’d expect: vivid, colorful graphics...more
Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted an event to look at kids’ digital marketing. Here is a rough transcript; and if you have a spare five hours, you can watch the videos, which will soon be posted on the...more
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
Sometimes advertising lawyers can be real drama royals. But I do think the latest in the teeth-straightening wars at NAD (link to SmileDirect press release below) deserves some attention. I am not yet sure if this...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
The other day, we noticed an article announcing that legendary direct marketer Joe Sugarman had passed away. He had quite a career in the industry but was probably best known for the omnipresent BluBlocker sunglasses that...more
L’Oréal Gets Pancaked by False Origin Suit -
Famous beauty products made in...Arkansas? ...more
There was a good piece in MediaPost’s Marketing Insider, available here, on business considerations for working with B2B influencers. We thought we might add our legal tips to Justin Levy’s five tips list. That way we get to...more
2/2/2022
/ Advertising ,
Audits ,
B2B Organizations ,
Brand ,
Endorsements ,
Ethics ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Influencers ,
Marketing ,
Online Endorsements ,
Trade Secrets
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
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
Subscription marketing is on the rise with some predicting the subscription industry will more than double by 2025. This prediction is fueled partly by the pandemic, no doubt linked to people seeking more streaming services...more
My smart colleague Daniel posted a terrific new year’s resolution blog yesterday. I have one more thing to add. Many of us at some point have had to make an apology or two for comments made when we may have been, er,...more
Another year has come and gone. There are many things one could reflect on, but this blog is about advertising and marketing law, so we’ll stick to that. To say it was an eventful year would be an understatement. So we asked...more
Plaintiffs’ Bar Waves Another Maddening Flag at Olé - Repeat of Cali origin case makes New York claims - Qué Pasó? Back in May, we covered a case that raised a bushel of interesting questions about origin claims....more
SDNY: Pepperidge Farm Butter Suit Is Half-Baked - Stalking suit plaintiffs’ counsel is kicked out of the kitchen again - All Publicity Is Good Publicity - As a rule, we don’t mention the names of the law firms involved in the...more
Kanye’s Kicks Cos. Clobbered by Cali Code - Yeezy failed to deliver the goods; part of uptick in MITOR attention Gotta Have It - We made a big deal of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) investigation of and actions on late...more
Swamped Commission Gets Compulsory Life Preserver - Rising tide of merger filings cited to justify new compulsory process resolutions - Multi-Foci - After a 3-2 vote, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) approved...more
‘Blessing Loom’ Club Just a Pyramid in Drag? FTC says BINT was fleecing participants while demanding vows of silence - Migraines in No Time - There are all sorts of new-agey trappings that accompany the “Blessing Loom” known...more
CARU Warns Kids Off of Consuming Sugary, Fruit-Scented Doll Tears - Sometimes you write a title so strange that a subtitle seems superfluous - Kids Today - The holy grail of toy manufacturing is the collectible—the marketing...more
SCOTUS: No Equitable Monetary Relief for FTC Under § 13(b) - Well, the buck stops here (for now). In AMG Capital Management, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Section 13(b) of the...more
5/5/2021
/ Advertising ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Expedia ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTCA Section 13(b) ,
Made in the USA ,
Marketing ,
Settlement
Will Unanimous Supremes Stem the TCPA Tide? With a ‘random’ decision, SCOTUS reshapes the landscape of telemarketing law - What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been - Back in July of last year, we offered a summary of the...more
Instagram Macher Facing Wire Fraud Charges Over Bitcoin - “Jay Mazini” was raking in the virtual currency but didn’t bother paying for it, Feds say …Or Lie Tryin’ - A famous playwright once noted that if you tell an audience...more
4/12/2021
/ Advertising ,
Bitcoin ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
E-Commerce ,
FDA Warning Letters ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food Labeling ,
GMO ,
Marketing ,
Online Marketplace ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Reimbursements ,
Wire Fraud
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