On March 19, 2017, Marilu Calderon went shopping at the Kate Spade outlet store in Carlsbad, California, and a “Flavor of the Month” charm pendant caught her eye. The price on the tag was $78.00, but in-store signs stated that the product was an additional 60% off. Ms. Calderon thought that was a good deal, so she purchased the pendant for $31.20.
Five months later, in New Jersey,… More
The Food and Drug Law Institute’s 2019 Food Advertising, Labeling, and Litigation Conference for the Food and Dietary Supplement Industries will take place September 26 and 27 in Washington DC. This is always an excellent conference that showcases specialized expertise in this important area of regulation and litigation. Speakers always include key officials from relevant enforcement agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, and U.S.… More
On Thursday, February 7, Foley Hoag partner August Horvath will join a panel of other authorities to discuss methods of damages estimation in food labeling class actions, sponsored by the ABA Section of Litigation. Numerous class action suits continue to be brought alleging food mislabeling involving the package size, the nation of origin, the functional and health benefits, or the contents of consumer products.… More
We have written many times about the key players in U.S.-based advertising regulation: the Federal Trade Commission, the National Advertising Division, and states’ attorneys general. But there is another player that is often overlooked in these discussions: consumer advocacy groups.
One of the leading consumer advocacy groups focused on advertising is Truth in Advertising (TINA.org), an independent non-profit organization that monitors advertising for claims it views as misleading or deceptive. … More
What if I handed you a stuffed animal for Christmas and told you to kiss it in order to make your wishes come true? Did I just make an untrue factual claim, or was I merely engaged in harmless puffery? Would your answer change if you were only six years old? Just in time for the holidays, the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (“CARU”) has weighed in on this question.… More
With the opening of the East Coast’s first marijuana retailer just days away, consumers in Massachusetts may soon begin seeing advertisements promoting all manner of cannabis products, services, and establishments. The state’s Cannabis Control Commission has drafted regulations that place restrictions on marijuana advertising, but even with those restrictions, there is still plenty of opportunity for retailers and product manufacturers to promote cannabis to consumers,… More
The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus announced and released several revisions to its ASRC Procedures during its annual conference on September 24-25.
Reopening a Case
One of these revisions was teased by NAD in advance of the conference and reported in our blog post here. As expected, NAD altered its rules governing an advertiser’s submission of additional substantiation materials after a NAD decision or NARB appeal.… More
Welcome to another installment of Retro-Grade, where we take a trip down memory lane, looking at classic ads from days of yore and examining issues that might arise if those ads were run today. As the name of the series implies, we give each ad a grade. We are not at liberty to disclose the details of our proprietary grading scheme, but, suffice it to say, it is neither rigorous nor scientific.… More
Welcome to Retro-Grade, another new series from Foley Hoag’s Advertising and Marketing Law blog. Here we take a trip down memory lane, looking at classic American ads from days gone by and examining issues that might arise if those ads were run today. As the name of the series implies, we give each ad a grade. We are not at liberty to disclose the details of our proprietary grading scheme,… More
Crypto is a Greek prefix meaning “secret” or “hidden.” Unless you live under a rock, or in one of several countries like Bolivia where buying and selling it is illegal, there is nothing secret or hidden about cryptocurrency. It’s everywhere. And public interest in cryptocurrency has led to lots of advertising, mostly on social media and the internet.
Spurred on by an incredible—some might say too-good-to-be-true—increase in value in late 2017,… More