The FTC continues its pursuit of deceptive Made in USA claims, this time with allegations that company Lions Not Sheep and its owner, Sean Whalen, marketed apparel as being “Made in USA,” “Made in America,” “100% AMERICAN MADE,” and “BEST DAMN AMERICAN MADE GEAR ON THE PLANET” when in fact the products were made in China.
Continue Reading Beware the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: FTC Takes Action Against Apparel Retailer Who Bragged He Could Rip Off Consumers by Ripping Out Made in China Tags
In a rare “some assembly required” and “parts not included” decision, the Children’s Advertising Review Unit, a division of BBB National Programs, scrutinized advertising for Micro Machine toys.
Continue Reading CARU Requires Toy Company to Modify Ads to Show Limited Scope of Playsets, Adult Assembly Required, and Real Toy Play
The Children’s Advertising Review Unit, a part of BBB National Programs, released its revised Children’s Advertising Guidelines earlier this month. These new Guidelines will go into effect in January 2022 and contain some notable changes.
Continue Reading Children’s Advertising Review Unit Issues Revised Guidelines for Advertising to Children
At the Federal Trade Commission’s July 1 meeting, it finalized a new “Made in USA” Rule that was almost two decades in the making. The FTC issued a notice of proposed rulemaking in June 2020 and received 700 comments from stakeholders. During that time, the FTC has aggressively policed Made in USA claims (through an enforcement policy statement), settling a historic, million dollar follow-on Made in USA enforcement action and obtaining a six-figure settlement with an online retailer.
Continue Reading FTC Finalizes “Made in USA” Rule in Partisan Split
Gennex Media LLC, a customizable product online marketplace, and its sole officer and shareholder Akil Kurji, have agreed to an FTC consent decree resolving allegations the company falsely claimed its Brandnex novelty products were “Made in USA,” “USA MADE,” and “Manufactured Right Here in America!” when, in many instances, they were wholly imported from China.
Continue Reading Retailers Beware: “You can’t say your products are made in the USA when [they are] made elsewhere.”
The FTC has obtained a $1.2 million settlement in a follow-on action against glue manufacturer Chemence, the largest judgment for a Made in USA the agency has ever imposed. According to the FTC, Chemence violated a 2016 order involving deceptively labeled “Proudly Made in USA” glue products whose inputs were imported.
Continue Reading Glue Manufacturers Who Defied 2016 FTC Settlement Subject to Historic “Made In USA” Judgment
On Friday, November 6, 2020, the FTC finalized its settlement with Sunday Riley Skincare, a cult-favorite skincare brand known for its high-end products. The action comes after the agency’s initial announcement in October 2019 that employees of the brand, under direction of CEO, Sunday Riley, posted thousands of fake reviews of the brand’s products online over the course of almost two years.
Continue Reading Divided FTC Finalizes “No-Fault, No-Money Settlement” Agreement with Skincare Brand, Sunday Riley