Bramble Strengthens Consumer Products, Product Liability Practices
Venable announced earlier this week that Heather Capell Bramble, who most recently served as chief counsel and policy advisor to Commissioner Marietta Robinson at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), has joined Venable's Washington, DC office. Heather's unique experience at the cutting edge of consumer product safety matters bolsters Venable's expanding consumer product safety practice and its market-leading product liability practice.
Customs Slams $55K in Counterfeit Jordans
Last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that its officers had discovered and seized 400 pairs of counterfeit Air Jordan sneakers that arrived as air cargo at Washington Dulles International. In the February edition of the DRMA Voice, Venable attorneys Chris Crook and Calvin Nelson write that the seizure shines a light on the scope of the counterfeiting problem in the United States. It also helps illustrate what brands can do to put the full court press on manufacturers and merchants seeking to profit from misappropriated intellectual property.
Charity Fundraisers' Telemarketing Remains in FTC's Crosshairs
For decades, the Northwest Regional Office of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has led federal law enforcement efforts to investigate and shut down alleged fraud in the charity fundraising industry. In a recent blog post, Venable partner Eric Berman writes that the office's enthusiasm for policing fundraising telemarketers received a boost from its collaboration with state regulators against several allegedly sham charities in 2015. And, he writes, the FTC's January 10, 2018 request that the Department of Justice file a complaint against an Ohio-based charity and political fundraiser alleging violations of the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule indicates that the FTC's appetite for cases involving charity fundraising is very strong.
From the Tool Kit:
Brand owners face many challenges in relation to managing and protecting their brand in today's global marketplace, including counterfeiting, knockoffs, product diversion, and parallel importation of goods. In the most recent edition of the firm's Advertising Law Tool Kit, Venable partners Roger Colaizzi, Marcella Ballard, Josh Kaufman, and Justin Pierce outline best practices advertisers can use to protect their brands.