This past week, several consumer protection and regulatory actions made headlines:
FTC to Host Consumer Disclosure Workshop in September
The Federal Trade Commission has announced that it will be hosting a September 15, 2016 workshop, “Putting Disclosures to the Test,” on the efficacy and costs of consumer disclosures in advertising and in privacy policies. Planned discussion topics include examining disclosures meant to avoid deception in advertising, disclosures designed to inform consumers of data tracking, and industry-specific disclosures for jewelry, environmental and fuel-saving claims. The workshop is open to the public and will take place at the FTC’s Constitution Center offices in Washington, D.C. The FTC currently is soliciting presentation proposals for the workshop; submissions may be sent to disclosuretesting@ftc.gov.
FTC Chair Testifies Before Congress Regarding Commission’s Role in Protecting Consumers and Competition
On May 24, 2016, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. The testimony focused on 17 pending bills which will either expand the FTC’s jurisdiction or otherwise impact the FTC’s mission to protect consumers and competition.
FTC Settles with “Mosquito Shield Band” Marketers for $300,000
On May 24, 2016, the FTC announced that it had reached a settlement regarding allegations that Viatek Consumer Products Group, Inc. and its president, Lou Lentine, made deceptive claims about Viatek-branded Mosquito Shield Bands. Additionally, the FTC charged Viatek and Lentine with violating a 2003 administrative order requiring them to have competent and reliable evidence to support any advertising claims made by the company.
Viatek Mosquito Shield Bands contain mint oil and was marketed directly to consumers and through retailers like HSN. According to the FTC’s February 2015 complaint, Viatek claimed that the mint oil in Mosquito Shield Bands created a “vapor barrier,” and will shield people within 5 feet of the product from mosquitos. The FTC alleged that Viatek did not have competent and reliable scientific evidence to support such claims.
In addition to paying $300,000 to the FTC, the defendants are required to have competent and reliable evidence to substantiate any claims of efficacy for their products. The defendants must also adhere to the 2003 FTC order.
FDA Issues Guidance for Including “Evaporated Cane Juice” on Ingredient Labels: Don’t
On May 25, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issued guidelines for proper labeling of foods containing certain sweeteners. Recently, manufacturers have listed “evaporated cane juice” as an ingredient on certain food products. The FDA has taken the position that the term “evaporated cane juice” is misleading and does not accurately describe what the ingredient is - namely, the ingredient is effectively a sugar or syrup, not the “juice” from sugarcane. This follows draft guidance issued by the FDA in 2009 and a supplemental comment period in 2014.
NAD Recommends Changes to Joyus Native Videos
The National Advertising Division (“NAD”) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus is recommending that online videos and product recommendation sites more clearly disclose if they are in fact advertisements for products. Joyus, Inc., sells “Dr. Brandt’s Needles No More Wrinkle Relaxing Cream,” which is marketed through the online edition of People Magazine. The product was listed in the “Stuff We Love” feature of People. Videos of various products included links to purchase the products. NAD ruled that although the videos were clearly promotional in nature, neither the videos nor the “Stuff We Love” page clarified that Joyus and People had a partnership to promote the sales of Joyus products.
NAD recommended that the advertiser disclose that links to the “Stuff We Love” are in fact links to a shopping partnership, and Joyus has indicated that it intends to comply with NAD’s recommendation.
Separately, Joyus made several claims regarding the efficacy of the product, which it voluntarily stopped as a result of the NAD investigation.
“Anti-AGin Gin” Discontinued after NAD Investigation
After the NAD investigated claims made regarding an “anti-aging gin,” manufacturer Bompas & Parr has discontinued the product. NAD requested substantiation for a number of claims Bompas & Parr made regarding “Anti-AGin Gin,” including, “for people who want to stay young but don’t want to give up drinking” and “[r]ejuvenates the skin while you drink.” In response to NAD’s requests for substantiation, Bompas & Parr voluntarily ceased selling the product. As a result, NAD did not review the claims on the merits, but is treating the outcome as though NAD had recommended the discontinuance of the claims.
Prestige has indicated that it intends to comply with the NAD recommendation.
- Partner
A leader in the advertising bar with decades of experience both working at and practicing before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Phyllis brings a unique advertising and children’s privacy vantage point to our clients ...
Search
Recent Posts
- From Produce to Insurance Coverage: What Businesses Concerned About Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Risks Can Learn From Tony’s Finer Foods
- Federal Court Invalidates NYC Law Requiring Food Delivery Apps to Share Customer Data with Restaurants
- FTC to Hold Workshop on Design Features that “Monopolize” Kids’ Time Online
Categories
- Advertising & Marketing
- Bankruptcy
- Class Action
- Competition/Antitrust
- Consumer Protection
- Corporate Governance
- Environmental
- General
- Health Care
- Insurance
- IP
- Labor and Employment
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Patent Infringement
- Patents
- Privacy & Cybersecurity
- Product Liability
- Real Estate
- Regulatory
- Regulatory
- Technology & E-Commerce
Tags
- 29 C.F.R. § 785.48
- 396-r
- 3D Printer
- 3D Printing
- A. Todd Brown
- A.S. Research (ASR)
- Aaron P. Simpson
- Advertisers
- Advertising
- Advertising Claims
- Advertising Idea
- Agency Guidance
- AI
- AI Interviewing Platforms
- Algorithmic Accountability Act
- Align
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Andrea DeField
- Ann Marie Buerkle
- Annual Reports
- anti-aging
- Anti-Discrimination
- APEX Agreement
- Arbitration
- Arbitration Agreements
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Arthritis
- Artificial Intelligence
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Asbestos
- Assembly Bill 51 (AB 51)
- ATDS
- Australia
- Auto-renewals
- automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS)
- Automobile
- Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA)
- Back to Work Emergency Ordinance
- biased endorsements
- Biden Administration
- Biometric Data
- Biometric Information
- Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)
- BIPA
- Bitcoin
- Blockchain
- Board Diversity Disclosure
- Boards of Directors
- Bonuses
- Braille
- Branding
- Breach
- Breach of Contract
- Business Interruption Loss
- Businessowner’s Insurance
- California
- California Assembly Bill 2011
- California Employment Laws
- California Fair Employment and Housing Act
- California Labor Code
- California Senate Bill 6
- CAMS
- Canada
- Cannabis
- CBD
- CBP
- CCPA
- Celebrity Endorsers
- Center for Disease Control (CDC)
- CFIUS
- CGL
- Chatbot
- Children’s Advertising
- Children’s Advertising Review Unit
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
- China
- Christopher J. Dufek
- Christopher W. Hasbrouck
- Christy Kiely
- Class Action
- Class Actions
- Clawback
- Climate Change
- clinical trials
- Collective Action
- Colorado
- Commercial General Liability
- Commercial Leasing
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Compliance
- Congress
- Connecticut
- Consent
- Consent Order
- Consumer Data
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- consumer loyalty program
- Consumer Product Safety Act
- Consumer Products
- Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC)
- Consumer Protection
- Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016 (CRFA)
- Consumer Reviews
- Contamination
- Contract Law
- Controlled Substance Act
- Cookware
- COPPA
- Copyright
- Coronavirus/COVID-19
- Corp Fin
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate Sustainability
- Counterfeit Goods
- Counterfeit Goods Seizure Act of 2019
- CPRA
- CPSA
- CPSC
- Crack House Statute
- CRFA
- Cryptocurrency
- CSPA
- Cuba
- Currency
- Customs and Border Protection
- Cyber Coverage
- Cyber Insurance
- D&O
- D&O policies
- D. Andrew Quigley
- Damages
- Data Breach
- Davidson
- DEI
- Delaware
- DEP
- Department of Justice
- Department of Labor
- Development Impact Fee
- Digital Assets
- digital currency
- Disclosures
- Distribution
- Division of Corporation Finance
- Dodd-Frank
- DOJ
- DOL
- Duty to Defend
- Duty to Indemnify
- e-liquid products
- Eddie Bauer
- EEOC
- Electric Vehicles
- Eleventh Circuit
- Emily Burkhardt Vicente
- Employee Rights
- Endorsement
- Endorsement Guides
- Endorsement Notice
- Endorsements
- endorser monitoring requirements
- Enforcement
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- EPA
- Epidemic
- ESG
- ESG Disclosure
- EU Regulation
- European Union
- European Unitary Patent
- EV Charging
- Exceptions
- Exclusions
- Exercise Machines
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
- FAA
- Fair Labor Standards Act
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- fair use
- False Advertising
- False Claims Act
- Family Leave Policies
- FCC
- FCRA
- FDA
- Federal Arbitration Act (FAA)
- Federal Communications Commission
- Federal District Court
- Federal Trade Commission
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- FFDCA
- FIFRA
- Fifth Circuit
- Fireworks
- First Amendment
- Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act
- Florida
- Florida House of Representatives (HB 963) and Florida Senate (SB 1670)
- Florida Legislature
- FLSA
- FLSA/Wage & Hour
- food delivery
- Food Safety
- Form 10-K
- Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act of 2010
- fractional interests
- Franchise
- Frederic Chang
- Free Trials
- FTC
- FTC Act
- Gavin Newsom
- GDPR
- General Liability
- Geoffrey B. Fehling
- Georgia
- Gift Cards
- GoodRx
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act
- Green
- Green Guides
- Greenhouse Gas
- Gun Safety
- Hart-Scott-Rodino
- Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR)
- hashtag
- Hawaii
- Health Care
- Health Claims
- Hedge Fund
- HIPAA
- hoverboards
- human capital
- Human Rights
- Illinois
- Illinois Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act (the Illinois Act)
- Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)
- Indiana
- Influencer Marketing
- Infringement
- initial public offerings (IPOs)
- Injury
- Insurance
- Insurance Loss
- Insurance Provider
- Intellectual Property
- Intellectual Property Licenses in Bankruptcy Act
- Interest Rate
- International
- International Trade Commission
- International Trade Commission (ITC)
- INVISALIGN
- Iowa
- IP
- Ireland
- IT
- ITC
- iTERO
- Katherine Miller
- Kurt A. Powell
- Kurt G. Larkin
- Labeling Rules
- Labor
- Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA)
- Labor Organizing
- Labor Unions
- Land Use
- Landlord
- Latin America
- Lautenberg Act
- Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York (LRANY)
- Lead
- Lease
- Legislation
- Leveraged Loans
- Liability Insurance Policy
- Liberty Insurance Corporation
- Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company
- LIBOR Discontinuation
- liquidity
- Litigation
- Live Chat
- Louisiana
- M&A
- Made in the USA
- Made in USA
- MagicSleeve
- Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
- Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (MMWA)
- Maine
- Malcolm C. Weiss
- Manufacturing
- Marketing Claims
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Matthew T. McLellan
- Maya M. Eckstein
- MD&A
- Medtail
- Membership cancellation
- Metaverse
- MeToo Movement
- Mexico
- Michael J. Mueller
- Michael S. Levine
- Minimum Wage
- Minnesota
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
- Misclassification
- Mislabeling
- Mission Product Holdings
- Missouri
- Mobile
- Mobile App
- Multi-Level Marketing Program (MLM)
- NAA
- NAD
- NASA
- National Advertising Division
- National Advertising Division (NAD)
- National Advertising Review Board
- National Products Inc.
- National Retail Federation
- Natural Disaster
- Nebraska
- Neil K. Gilman
- Network Outage
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- NHTSA
- NIL rights
- Ninth Circuit
- NLRA
- NLRB
- no-action request
- non-fungible token (NFT)
- North Carolina
- Obama Administration
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Occurrence
- Office of Labor Standards Enforcement
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Online Retailer
- online reviews
- Opioids
- Oregon
- Overboarding
- Overtime
- Overtime Exemptions
- Ownership
- Packaging
- PAGA
- Pandemic
- Patent
- Patent Infringement
- Patents
- Paul T. Moura
- Pay Ratio
- pay-to-play rankings
- Penalty
- Pennsylvania
- Personal and Advertising Injury
- Personal Data
- Personal Information
- Personally Identifiable Information
- Pesticides
- PFAS
- Physical Loss or Damage
- Policy
- price gouging
- Privacy
- Privacy Guidelines
- Privacy Policy
- Privacy Protections
- Prohibition on Sale
- Property Insurance
- Property Rights
- Proposition 65
- Proxy Access
- proxy materials
- Proxy Statements
- Public Companies
- Purdue Pharma
- Randall S. Parks
- Ransomware
- real estate
- Recall
- Recalls
- Regulation
- Regulation S-K
- Restaurants
- Restrictive Covenants
- Retail
- Retail Development
- Retail Industry Leaders Association
- Retail Litigation Center
- Rounding
- rulemaking
- Ryan A. Glasgow
- Sales Tax
- Scott H. Kimpel
- SD8 coins
- SEC
- SEC Disclosure
- Second Circuit
- Section 337
- Section 365
- Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act of 2019 (“SAFE Banking Act”)
- Securities
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- security checks
- Senate
- Senate Data Handling Report
- Sergio F. Oehninger
- Service Contract Act (SCA)
- Service Provider
- SHARE
- Shareholder
- Shareholder Proposals
- Slogan
- Smart Contracts
- Social Media
- Social Media Influencers
- Software
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs)
- State Attorneys General
- Store Closures
- Subscription services
- Substantiation
- Substantiation Notice
- Supplier
- Supply Chain
- Supply contracts
- Supreme Court
- Sustainability
- Syed S. Ahmad
- Synovia
- Targeted Advertising
- Tax
- TCCWNA
- TCPA
- Technology
- Telemarketing
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
- Tempnology LLC
- Tenant
- Tennessee
- Terms and Conditions
- Texas
- the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Thomas R. Waskom
- Title VII
- tokenization
- tokens
- Toxic Chemicals
- Toxic Substances Control Act
- Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
- Trade Dress
- Trademark
- Trademark Infringement
- Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB)
- TransUnion
- Travel
- Trump Administration
- TSCA
- TSCA Title VI
- U.S. Department of Justice
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- U.S. House of Representatives
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Umbrella Liability
- Union
- Union Organizing
- United Specialty Insurance Company
- Unmanned Aircraft
- Unruh Civil Rights Act
- UPSTO
- US Chamber of Commerce
- US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- US International Trade Commission (ITC)
- US Origin Claims
- US Patent and Trademark Office
- US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- US Supreme Court
- USDA
- USPTO
- Utah
- Varidesk
- Vermont
- Virginia
- volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions
- W. Jeffery Edwards
- Wage and Hour
- Walter J. Andrews
- Warranties
- Warranty
- Washington
- Washington DC
- Web Accessibility
- Weight Loss
- Wiretapping
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Wyoming
- Year In Review
- Zoning Regulations
Authors
- Gary A. Abelev
- Alexander Abramenko
- Yaniel Abreu
- Syed S. Ahmad
- Nancy B. Beck, PhD, DABT
- Brandon Bell
- Fawaz A. Bham
- Michael J. “Jack” Bisceglia
- Jeremy S. Boczko
- Brian J. Bosworth
- Shannon S. Broome
- A. Todd Brown, Sr.
- Samuel L. Brown
- Tyler P. Brown
- Melinda Brunger
- Jimmy Bui
- M. Brett Burns
- Olivia G. Bushman
- Matthew J. Calvert
- Grant H. Cokeley
- Abigail Contreras
- Alexandra B. Cunningham
- Merideth Snow Daly
- Javier De Luna
- Timothy G. Decker
- Andrea DeField
- John J. Delionado
- Stephen P. Demm
- Mayme Donohue
- Nicholas Drews
- Christopher J. Dufek
- Robert T. Dumbacher
- M. Kaylan Dunn
- Frederick R. Eames
- Maya M. Eckstein
- Tara L. Elgie
- Clare Ellis
- Latosha M. Ellis
- Juan C. Enjamio
- Kelly L. Faglioni
- Ozzie A. Farres
- Geoffrey B. Fehling
- Hannah Flint
- Erin F. Fonté
- Kevin E. Gaunt
- Andrew G. Geyer
- Armin Ghiam
- Neil K. Gilman
- Ryan A. Glasgow
- Tonya M. Gray
- Aidan Gross
- Elisabeth R. Gunther
- Steven M. Haas
- Kevin Hahm
- Jason W. Harbour
- Jeffrey L. Harvey
- Christopher W. Hasbrouck
- Eileen Henderson
- Gregory G. Hesse
- Kirk A. Hornbeck
- Rachel E. Hudgins
- Sarah Ingles
- Jamie Zysk Isani
- Nicole R. Johnson
- Roland M. Juarez
- Suzan Kern
- Jason J. Kim
- Scott H. Kimpel
- Andrew S. Koelz
- Leslie W. Kostyshak
- Perie Reiko Koyama
- Torsten M. Kracht
- Brad Kuntz
- Kurt G. Larkin
- Tyler S. Laughinghouse
- Matthew Z. Leopold
- Michael S. Levine
- Ashley Lewis
- Abigail M. Lyle
- Maeve Malik
- Phyllis H. Marcus
- Eric R. Markus
- Brandon Marvisi
- John Gary Maynard, III
- Reilly C. Moore
- Michael D. Morfey
- Ann Marie Mortimer
- Michael J. Mueller
- J. Drei Munar
- Marcus E. Nelson
- Matthew Nigriny
- Justin F. Paget
- Christopher M. Pardo
- Randall S. Parks
- Katherine Pauly
- Katherine C. Pickens
- Gregory L. Porter
- Kurt A. Powell
- Robert T. Quackenboss
- D. Andrew Quigley
- Michael Reed
- Shawn Patrick Regan
- Jonathan D. Reichman
- Kelli Regan Rice
- Patrick L. Robson
- Amber M. Rogers
- Natalia San Juan
- Katherine P. Sandberg
- Arthur E. Schmalz
- Daniel G. Shanley
- Madison W. Sherrill
- Kevin V. Small
- J.R. Smith
- Bennett Sooy
- Daniel Stefany
- Javaneh S. Tarter
- Jessica N. Vara
- Emily Burkhardt Vicente
- Mark R. Vowell
- Gregory R. Wall
- Thomas R. Waskom
- Malcolm C. Weiss
- Holly H. Williamson
- Samuel Wolff
- Steven L. Wood
- Jingyi “Alice” Yao
- Jessica G. Yeshman