In its 2012 revisions to the Green Guides (16 C.F.R. Part 260) on environmental marketing claims, the FTC declined to provide guidance regarding “organic” claims, “either because the FTC lacks a sufficient basis to provide meaningful guidance or wants to avoid proposing guidance that duplicates or contradicts rules or guidance of other agencies.” That self-imposed… Continue Reading
In a long-awaited pronouncement, on May 25, 2016 the Food and Drug Administration issued its final guidance recommending that food and beverage manufacturers discontinue their use of the term “evaporated cane juice” (ECJ) to refer to sweeteners extracted from sugar cane. As the agency explained, “the use of ‘juice’ in the name of a product… Continue Reading
On July 26, 2016, FDA issued an updated warning on beauty products, warning consumers to avoid certain “skin creams, beauty and antiseptic soaps, and lotions,” particularly those boasting “anti-aging” or “skin lightening” benefits, as potentially containing mercury. While the dangers of mercury exposure are well-known, mercury’s ubiquity in certain beauty products is not. Products that… Continue Reading
One week before the Vermont GMO labeling law will take effect, a bipartisan bill requiring mandatory labeling for products containing genetically modified ingredients has been agreed to by Senate AG committee ranking member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS). The bill, which would require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a national… Continue Reading
On Friday, May 20, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a “refreshed” Nutrition Facts label, which, except for the addition of trans-fats in 2006, had gone largely untouched since 1994. Consumers will not only notice an updated design, which makes the label larger and bolder, but there are more substantive changes that,… Continue Reading
In Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued yet another narrow decision—apparently designed to avoid a 4-4 deadlock—in another hard-fought, potentially divisive case on its docket this term. On May 16, 2016, the Court held 6-2 that the Ninth Circuit had erred in not asking whether plaintiff Robins had alleged that he… Continue Reading
Companies from Procter & Gamble and Unilever to Mars and Starbucks have recently been hit with class actions slightly different from the false advertising claims we have gotten used to seeing. Now, instead of just alleging that companies are deceiving consumers through the language used in their advertising claims, consumer plaintiffs are expanding their allegations… Continue Reading
Federal judges often find themselves confronting a familiar conundrum in consumer class actions that challenge misleading practices. The typical plaintiff will file a suit after somehow discovering that one of the defendant’s advertisements, product labels, or other representations is “false” or “misleading.” The self-nominated “representative” asks the court to certify a class of all consumers… Continue Reading
On May 4, 2016, Crowell & Moring LLP will host a complimentary seminar on Advertising for Associations in their Washington, DC office. This afternoon program will focus on key issues affecting advertising communications and public relations strategies of major trade associations. It brings together leading trade association executives and lawyers, public relations specialists, and ad… Continue Reading
Handed down January 20, 2016, the Supreme Court’s decision in Campbell-Ewald Co. v. Gomez was a major blow to what class action practitioners call the pick-off strategy: using a Rule 68 offer of complete relief to “pick off” a putative class representative, thereby mooting the class action suit. In Campbell-Ewald the Court rejected this tactic… Continue Reading
The continuing use of child and forced labor in parts of the world is, without question, a humanitarian tragedy. Less clear, though, is whether consumer class actions in the United States are a suitable tool for addressing this problem. Should retailers and manufacturers be subject to suit under consumer protection statutes if they fail to… Continue Reading
Last Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its keenly anticipated decision in Tyson Foods, Inc. v. Bouaphakeo, another in its recent run of class action cases. Siding 6-2 with the plaintiffs-respondents, the majority held that the employees at one Tyson pork processing plant could extrapolate how much overtime class members had worked from statistical… Continue Reading
The CPSC announced a civil penalty today against Gree Electrical Appliances that hit the statutory maximum of $15.45 million. CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye had previously expressed his desire at a recent trade conference for the Commission to hit a “double digit” million dollar civil penalty and to pursue more criminal charges. Today’s announcement achieved one of those… Continue Reading
On February 12, 2016, the Federal Bar Association will host a day-long Fashion Law Conference at Parsons School of Design (Starr Foundation Hall in the New School’s stunning new University Center) on the last day of New York Fashion Week! Speakers include in-house counsel from The Estee Lauder Companies, Inc., Tiffany & Co., New York &… Continue Reading
Many universities and local governments have installed synthetic turf made with “crumb rubber” – ground up tires – on playing fields and playgrounds in recent years to obtain the advantages of all-season use and lower maintenance costs. In recent months, however, the media and a growing group of critics contend that the crumb rubber used… Continue Reading
Just in time for the holiday shopping rush, “Hello Barbie” has hit the shelves. This Barbie actually talks back to its playmates and is the latest high-tech version of the iconic doll. The secret to this innovation? The Internet. Toymaker Mattel partnered with software firm ToyTalk to equip the doll with a microphone, voice-recognition, and… Continue Reading
On December 3, 2015 in a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled that California state law claims for harms arising out of allegedly false “organic” labeling were not preempted by the federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. With that decision, the Court reversed the lower court’s dismissal of Plaintiffs’ claims on the pleadings. … Continue Reading
Join our colleague, Kate Growley, today when she moderates a panel on the current regulatory issues with small unmanned aerial vehicles (aka UAS or drones): ABA Registration Link. The “it” holiday product this year brings a host of safety, security and privacy issues equally relevant to lawyers and non-lawyers. Citing sales estimates of 1 million drones,… Continue Reading
Michael Jordan has settled two high-profile right of publicity lawsuits with two now-defunct grocery chains – Jewel Food Stores and Dominick’s Finer Foods. In August, a jury awarded Jordan $8.9 million after a federal judge determined that Dominick’s violated Jordan’s rights under the Illinois Right of Publicity Act. Jewel and Jordan were scheduled to start… Continue Reading
The number of states who have banned the use of microbeads in personal care products is growing, with California being the most recent to join the trend. California and New Jersey laws expand their bans to include biodegradable microbeads; Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gamble both opposed the California law. The Personal Care Products Council,… Continue Reading
Businesses that try to prevent disgruntled customers from sharing their experiences with other consumers may have to answer to the FTC for engaging in an unfair practice. In Roca Labs, the FTC filed a complaint against marketers of purported weight loss products who “spent millions of dollars … to serve online advertisements.” Consumers who went… Continue Reading
Crowell & Moring is partnering with the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) for an October 20 webinar covering the emerging legal landscape for the fashion industry in the digital media age. The webinar will run from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET and will explore how to: Best protect your intellectual property rights as fashion… Continue Reading
On Wednesday, September 16, 2015, Advertising and Product Risk Management partners Cheri Falvey and David Ervin and Intellectual Property and Legal Affairs Counsel for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, Tracie Chesterman, presented at an exclusive breakfast hosted by Crowell & Moring and Women’s Wear Daily. The speakers discussed the “New Rules of Digital Marketing” and provided a… Continue Reading
On Monday, September 14, the FTC announced that it had sent letters to five providers of environmental seals and certifications and 32 individual companies using such seals and certifications, warning them against potentially overbroad, deceptive uses. The latest edition of the FTC’s Green Guides contains a section dealing with the use of environmental seals and certifications.… Continue Reading
