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Happy Holidays! All of us at Venable wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season. We look forward to returning to your inbox when we publish the next edition of Advertising Law News and Analysis on January 5, 2017. | |
| ANALYSIS | |
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NY AG Keeps up the Pressure on Astroturfing The New York Attorney General's office continued its assault against "astroturfing" – the posting of fake online reviews – with two new enforcement actions this month, writes Venable partner Leonard Gordon in a post to the firm's advertising law blog. The two actions and the differences between the businesses they targeted demonstrate that this issue is not going away and that… |
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Deceptive Claims, Endorsements by Employees Raise FTC's Blood Pressure Mobile apps that focus on health and fitness are increasingly popular, write Venable attorneys Leonard Gordon, Amy Ralph Mudge, and Christopher Boone in a recent post to the firm's advertising law blog. However, a recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlement with Aura Labs, Inc. and its principal, for allegedly making deceptive claims about the accuracy of its blood pressure measuring app, confirms that the same advertising rules apply to claims made for apps as for "hard goods." |
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More Than 1 Million Reasons to Think About Your Claims My Pillow – the marketer of the long-running hit infomercial product of the same name – recently reached a settlement over allegations of false advertising with 10 California district attorneys, write Venable attorneys Jeff Knowles and Gary Hailey in the December edition of the DRMA Voice. The DAs' lawsuit was spawned by an "investigation" by an increasingly active consumer watchdog, who then referred My Pillow to the DAs. The settlement highlights groups of law enforcers and consumer advocates that, although little known, will… |
| FROM THE TOOL KIT | |
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Native Advertising Last December, the FTC's gift to advertisers, marketers, and publishers was the Commission's Native Advertising Enforcement Statement. One year later, the Enforcement Statement has proved to be a gift that keeps on giving. In the firm's Advertising Law Tool Kit, Venable partners Amy Ralph Mudge and Randal M. Shaheen provide a quick guide to the FTC's native advertising standards. If you're interested in a deeper dive into the FTC's thoughts on native advertising, we suggest this post from our blog. |
NY AG takes action against fake reviews, FTC draws blood over deceptive claims, and more in this issue of Advertising Law News & Analysis
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