In November, we posted that four consumer groups had sent letters to FTC, encouraging the agency to investigate and bring enforcement actions regarding the use of influencers on Instagram. In what may be a response to that...more
The NAD recently announced a decision that touches upon various issues related to consumer reviews, including how paid endorsements should be disclosed, a company’s responsibilities regarding the content of endorsements, and...more
In September, we noted that four groups – Public Citizen, Commercial Alert, the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, and the Center for Digital Democracy – had sent a joint letter to FTC encouraging the agency to...more
This week, four groups – Public Citizen, Commercial Alert, the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, and the Center for Digital Democracy – sent a joint letter to FTC encouraging the agency to “investigate and bring...more
Last week, Bloomberg ran an article suggesting that the FTC is about to “crack down on paid celebrity posts” that aren’t labeled as ads. If you read this blog, you already know this is a big priority for the FTC. In fact, the...more
When the FTC issued its guidance on native advertising last year, the Commission emphasized the importance of ensuring that consumers are able to distinguish ads from editorial content. If the line between the two gets...more
This weekend, The New York Times ran an article on how the “list prices” displayed on many e-commerce sites have lost their meaning. The article starts with an example of a Le Creuset iron skillet. Although the author found...more
This week, the FTC filed a lawsuit against Chemence, Inc., alleging that the company is misleading consumers by claiming that many of their glues are made in the USA.
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The FTC recently released two new guidance documents: Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements and Native Advertising: A Guide for Businesses. The Policy Statement seeks to address the broad area...more
Tommie Copper advertised its copper-infused compression garments with the slogan: “Life Hurts. Find Relief.” Now, the company is itself hurting, after the FTC announced a settlement that requires it to pay over $1 million in...more
We frequently help clients figure out how to deal with laws that are outdated, so it’s nice to see when one of those laws gets updated to reflect current technology. Last month, President Obama signed the E-Warranty Act of...more
Fembots have plagued humanity for many years. In the 1970s, fembots attempted to seize control of a weather device before they were defeated by the Bionic Woman. And in the 1990s, fembots worked with Dr. Evil until Austin...more
In January 2014, AdAge interviewed me about news reports that Machinima had hired influencers to create videos promoting Microsoft’s Xbox One gaming console and games. In a native advertising campaign, the influencers posted...more
Last month, Kim Kardashian praised Diclegis, a drug for morning sickness, on her social media accounts. Since Kim doesn’t follow us on social media, we don’t always keep tabs on her. But when her posts raise regulatory...more
In 2012, the FTC sponsored a contest in which it invited contestants to submit their best solutions to block robocalls. After reviewing almost 800 entries, the FTC announced two winners. As we posted previously, though, one...more
Earlier this year, PayPal announced planned changes to its User Agreement that would have, among other things, given the company broad rights to contact people by phone or text messages. The provision stated, in part...more
This morning, the FTC announced that it had stopped a group of 15 companies and 7 individuals from using deceptive “risk-free trial” offers to sell skincare products online. At the Commission’s request, a federal court issued...more
Last week, the FTC announced its first legal action involving crowdfunding. For those of you who don’t know, crowdfunding is the practice of raising money for a project by seeking contributions from a large number of people,...more
6/16/2015
/ Crowdfunding ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Entrepreneurs ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Indiegogo ,
Kickstarter ,
Popular ,
Rewards ,
Settlement ,
Startups ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices