In 2020, plaintiffs filed a class action complaint in California federal court against Bigelow Tea, alleging that the company falsely represents that its teas are made in the United States, when the tea leaves are actually...more
Feeling a little sluggish, a woman in California went onto Instagram to see what other people were doing to give themselves a little energy boost. When she learned that three of the influencers she followed – Devon Windsor,...more
As part of its on-going monitoring of influencer campaigns, NAD recently launched an inquiry to assess whether influencers Brittany Mahomes and Lana Del Rey had adequately disclosed their relationship to Skims Body – a...more
Businesses offering subscriptions or other ongoing services continue to face a growing, and increasingly complex, patchwork of state auto-renewal laws (ARLs). 2025 brings a fresh wave of developments across the states. In...more
James Hardie Building Products makes fiber cement home siding. The company produced a video demonstration that compared the combustibility of its siding to various competing products when exposed to a blowtorch. At the...more
Last week, consumers in four states filed a proposed class action against Amazon, accusing the company of greenwashing by misleading consumers about the sustainability of the company’s Amazon Basics line of paper products....more
3/24/2025
/ Amazon ,
Class Action ,
Climate Change ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Greenwashing ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
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
Green marketing is very much in vogue, and so is suing companies over their green marketing. If you want to avoid those suits, you should generally start by looking at the FTC’s Green Guides. But a lot has changed since the...more
The Certified Angus Beef organization (or “CAB”) is a nonprofit organization that certifies high-quality Angus beef. CAB encourages beef producers to participate in the Beef Quality Assurance (or “BQA”) program, claiming...more
Under the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, influencers and celebrities have to disclose any material connection they have to the brands they promote “when a significant minority of the audience for an endorsement does not...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
Website accessibility lawsuits continue to be big business for plaintiffs’ attorneys, with thousands of lawsuits filed every year. Part of the problem is the lack of clear guidance from the government in this area, given that...more
In 2023, NAD reviewed claims that JBS had made about its goal “to be net zero by 2040.” NAD determined that although the company had taken steps to reach the goal, those steps weren’t enough to support the claim. In 2024,...more
Earlier this month, a group of eight consumers filed a class action against Procter & Gamble (“P&G”), alleging that the company is engaging in greenwashing by misleading consumers into thinking that its Charmin toilet paper...more
Revolve is an e-commerce fashion brand that relies heavily on influencers to promote its products. Some of those influencers promote the products pursuant to agreements with the company, while others promote the products as...more
TikTok offers an affiliate program through which influencers and other content creators can earn commissions by promoting products from various brands through affiliate links in their videos. Marketing experts often caution...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
I’ll start by admitting that I don’t know anything about the game of pickleball. Using the word “basketball” as an example and working backwards by breaking the word “pickleball” into its component parts, I can make an...more
Just Play makes Daisy the Yoga Goat, a toy for kids. The company advertises that Daisy has “super-soft plush gray fur…and lots of personality” and a recent TV commercial shows Daisy as she independently “moves her head,...more
Fourteen months after proposing a far-reaching rule that would have overhauled the way fees are disclosed across sectors, the FTC today announced a significantly curtailed final rule limited to the sale of live-event tickets...more
On Monday, the FTC announced a court order requiring GOAT – an online marketplace for sneakers, apparel, and accessories – to pay more than $2 million for violating the Mail Order Rule, which requires companies to have...more
If you’ve been on social media lately, depending on your algorithm, you may have witnessed tween influencers touting expensive skincare routines, or commentators lamenting the rise of the Sephora Kid. Before the holiday,...more
When an advertiser makes a comparison against a category of products, it must generally substantiate the claim against 85% of the products in that category. It’s common for advertisers to narrow down a category in order to...more
Last Friday, the FTC’s final Negative Option Rule was published in the Federal Register, starting the clock on the effective dates for the agency’s expansive overhaul of requirements related to goods or services sold through...more