Podcast - The FTC Takes Action Against Old Southern Brass for False "Made in the USA" Claims
Podcast - FTC's Approach to Made in the USA Claims
Proposition 65 – Changes That Will Impact the Cannabis Sector
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - False and Misleading Advertising, Label Review
Cannabis Counsel Cast: What Cannabis Companies Need to Know About California’s Prop. 65 (Even if They Aren’t in California)
I Wish I Knew What I Know Now: Conversations with AGG on FDA Issues - Pandemic Marketing 101: Do’s and Don’ts to Market Your Brands, Products, and Services Safely
Blakes Continuity Podcast: Entering the COVID-19 Marketplace: Proceed with Care
Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s Unfinished Business
If you have shopped online lately, odds are you saw products proudly advertising themselves as “Made in the USA.” Maybe it was a flag, a pair of boots, or a kitchen gadget. But how often is that label actually true? According...more
The new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation1 ("ESPR"), which entered into force on 18 July 2024, is set to significantly reshape the regulatory landscape for companies operating in the European Union ("EU"). As part...more
California’s consumer protection laws prohibit false advertising, as well as advertising that is “‘either actually misleading or which has a capacity, likelihood, or tendency to deceive or confuse the public.’” These claims...more
The Ninth Circuit recently upheld the dismissal of a putative class action finding that labeling Dove Dark Chocolate products as deriving from a “Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farm” did not mislead reasonable chocolate...more
On April 26, 2024, the FTC announced the largest ever civil penalty for the improper labelling of products as “Made in USA.” The FTC announced that Williams Sonoma will pay a record civil penalty of $3.17 million for...more
Takeaway: Is a label clearly false or only ambiguously false? Where a label is ambiguous – and therefore subject to an interpretation that would render it deceptive – the ambiguity can be clarified by fine print. The fine...more
Tractor maker Kubota North America Corporation will pay a $2 million civil penalty for falsely labeling its replacement parts as “Made in USA,” the largest civil penalty ever in a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Made in USA...more
As general awareness of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) has continued to rise in recent years, courts have experienced an increase in civil lawsuits alleging false and misleading advertising in corporate...more
The latest Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Made in the USA (MUSA) case may be a bit of a head-scratcher that requires us to delve more deeply into FTC authorities and monetary recovery theories....more
On May 23, 2023, the European Commission formally published the new General Product Safety Regulation, which reforms a variety of product safety regulations for manufacturers doing business in the European Union (EU) and its...more
P.T. Barnum famously said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Oscar Wilde, however, gave that quote his own spin and said, “There’s only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being...more
On Aug. 9, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it had referred a complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice alleging that Axis LED Group LLC, ALG-Health LLC and the individual who controls the companies...more
Welcome back to the Class Action & MDL Roundup! This edition covers notable class actions from the first quarter of 2022. In this edition, COVID cases are still endemic for insurance companies, kids’ contracts are voidable...more
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of over 4,000 synthetic chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s. These substances are identified by their chains of...more
The last thing the parties to a class action settlement want to see is an objection from state Attorneys General (AGs). AG objections to class action settlements are relatively rare and courts tend to give AG objections more...more
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
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
In the fall edition of the Class Action & MDL Roundup, covering notable class actions from the third quarter of 2021, a marriage nearly tears apart a certified class, insurers are vaccinated against more COVID-19 suits, and...more
Food litigation filings have risen significantly in the recent past. According to data collected by Perkins Coie, even with the pandemic, filings targeting the food and beverage industry have seen record levels in 2020 and...more
Who said it better: “The pedigree of Honey / Does not concern the bee” (Dickinson, E.); or “[G]iven the foraging nature of bees, … it is impossible to produce honey that is derived exclusively from a single floral source”...more
On Thursday, July 1, 2021, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized a rule that both formally adopts the agency’s longstanding guidelines for “unqualified” claims that a product has U.S. origin, and authorizes...more
On December 16, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issued a corporate Warning Letter to Whole Foods Market (“Whole Foods”) following 32 recalls Whole Foods conducted over an approximate one year period for...more
The beverage industry came out on top in a pair of recently dismissed lawsuits alleging the use of the term “vanilla” on drink labels was misleading, where the vanilla flavor allegedly did not come exclusively from the...more
We previously blogged about the dismissal without prejudice of a putative consumer class action alleging that the well-known confectioner Ghirardelli misled consumers into believing its “Premium Baking Chips Classic White...more
Does a plaintiff who files a class action alleging false advertising have Article III standing to seek injunctive relief—even when that plaintiff is a past purchaser of the product, and therefore is aware of the defendant’s...more