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
For some time now, dark patterns have been quite the trending topic for both marketers and privacy professionals. Regulators have frequently railed against dark patterns that purport to manipulate user choices, usually...more
9/20/2022
/ Advertising ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Deceptive Intent ,
European Data Protection Board (EDPB) ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
First Amendment ,
Internet Marketing ,
Marketing ,
Online Advertisements ,
Privacy Settings ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Website Design
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
Earlier this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it was initiating a rulemaking to “crack down on harmful commercial surveillance and lax data security.” More specifically, the agency issued an...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
TINA Investigation Sours on HelloFresh -
America’s #1 food-box provider is deploying dark patterns, says watchdog -
See-Through?
When it comes to ingredients and suppliers, HelloFresh is all about disclosure....more
7/15/2022
/ Advertising ,
Data Privacy ,
Fashion Design ,
Fashion Industry ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Incentives ,
License Renewals ,
Loss of Goodwill ,
Material Disclosures ,
NAD ,
Natural Products ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks ,
Transparency ,
Web Browsers
It has been two weeks or so since the FTC announced that it is going to take a close look at whether and how to revise the Dot com Disclosure Guides. For those who are new to this, the dot com guides (technically and...more
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
As we have reported, the FTC has issued its proposal for an update to the Testimonial & Endorsement Guides. These are not THE LAW, because (1) guides are not law and (2) even if we treat them as such, this is a proposal....more
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
Last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized a new rule (Rule) that would allow the agency to seek civil penalties in matters where a company made a false and unqualified Made in the USA (MUSA) claim on product...more
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
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
L’Oréal Gets Pancaked by False Origin Suit -
Famous beauty products made in...Arkansas? ...more
Washington State Debates Personal Data Protections -
Will the Evergreen State join Colorado and Cali and flick the data off-switch?...more
2/3/2022
/ Advertising ,
Blockchain ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Do Not Sell ,
Ethereum ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
NAD ,
Opt-Outs ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Privacy Laws ,
Web Tracking
Up until now, most of the FTC’s law enforcement involving the Contact Lens Rule (Rule) has focused on sellers of cosmetic or decorative lenses. Indeed, safety concerns about decorative lenses were newsworthy in 2010, when...more
2/1/2022
/ Advertising ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Endorsements ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Incentives ,
Marketing ,
Online Reviews ,
Statutory Violations ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
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
I made my last New Year’s resolution 10 years ago in 2012. Technically, it wasn’t a resolution; maybe it was more of a lifestyle choice. I vowed that I would no longer drink the coffee that was sold in the Federal Trade...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
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
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