Legal PR Pioneer Jay Jaffe Dies at Age 68

Jay Jaffe, who pioneered the business of law firm marketing after the U.S. Supreme Court gave a green light to such advertising in a landmark 1977 decision, died last week. He was 68 years old. A Chicago native, Jaffe worked as a journalist before establishing Jaffe PR in the wake…

Nov 27, 2012 5:35 PM CST

DUI Defense Lawyer Advertises Services on Bar Wristbands; MADD Disapproves

“Drinking Tonight? Know Your Rights,” read wristbands handed out at a Texas bar, with the phone number for drunk-driving defense lawyer Stephen Hamilton. “The sign on the road that says drink, drive, go to jail. It’s a catchy slogan. That ain’t the law in Texas,” Hamilton, of Lubbock, told Nexstar…

Oct 26, 2012 3:47 PM CDT

Michigan Can Reject Bus Ads Criticizing Islam, 6th Circuit Says

A proposed bus advertisement for RefugefromIslam.com can be rejected by Michigan’s Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday, because the agency rejects all political advertising. According to the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, the American Freedom Defense Initiative wanted to place the…

Oct 25, 2012 6:43 PM CDT

Report: Verizon Sells Smartphone App Usage, Browsing and Location Data; Critics Claim Wiretap Issues

A CNET News report that Verizon Wireless is selling aggregated information about its customers’ geographic location, application use and Internet browsing habits has raised questions about whether this practice could violate laws against wiretapping. Verizon says that its Precision Market Insights program, which offers reports to third-party marketers about customers’…

Oct 18, 2012 8:33 PM CDT

Some Advertisers Say Their Compliance with Computer Browser Do-Not-Track Feature Is Optional

Setting up a possible showdown between advertisers and the government agencies that are supposed to protect consumer privacy, three advertiser trade groups announced this week that they don’t support the do-not-track feature built into new Internet browsers manufactured by Microsoft, and said some companies might even ignore it. On Tuesday…

Oct 11, 2012 5:00 PM CDT

New Facebook Program Matching Users, Brick-and-Mortar Retail Data Sparks Complaint to FTC

Facebook users, knowing that they might be targeted by advertisers based on what they posted online, have been willing to trade some privacy for the convenience of easy online access to other individuals throughout the country and globally. But the social networking site has now embarked on a new marketing…

Oct 3, 2012 7:53 PM CDT

Regulators Moving to Strengthen Privacy Rules for Children on the Web

Alarmed by the sheer volume of personal information being collected by companies looking to target advertising and products to children, federal regulators are moving to overhaul privacy rules. Collecting the data is legal, though parents and regulators alike have concerns about how personal information about children is being stored and…

Sep 28, 2012 10:24 AM CDT

Long-Lasting Lipstick Claims Challenged in Suit

Saying Maybelline’s line of long-lasting lipsticks is anything but, a group of women have filed suit alleging violations of consumer protection laws and asking for damages. The suit filed in federal court in Manhattan maintains the company’s claims regarding Super Stay 10HR Stain Gloss and Super Stay 14 HR Lipstick…

Sep 26, 2012 4:03 PM CDT

DC Circuit Strikes Down FDA Rules Requiring Graphic Images on Cigarette Packaging

Federal rules which require graphic warning images on cigarette packages were struck down today in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, on the basis that the mandates violate corporate speech rights. One of the images featured a man exhaling smoke through a hole in his throat,…

Aug 24, 2012 4:00 PM CDT

Judge Wants to Know if Facebook Settlement Terms Were ‘Plucked from Thin Air’

A federal judge in San Francisco has refused to approve a settlement that doesn’t award any money to class members in a suit over a Facebook advertising feature that published users’ “likes.” U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg asked litigants to prove some settlement terms weren’t “merely plucked from thin air,”…

Aug 20, 2012 12:31 PM CDT

Resolution Urges US Agencies to Pursue Regulatory Cooperation with Foreign Counterparts

A resolution passed by the ABA House of Delegates on Tuesday urges federal agencies to pursue regulatory cooperation with relevant foreign authorities. The House passed Resolution 109B, which says the agencies should cooperate where appropriate and “consistent with their legal authority, statutory mandates, and regulatory missions.” The resolution states that…

Aug 7, 2012 2:35 PM CDT

Wanna Buy Some Boots? Online Counterfeiters Get the Message—Don’t Mess with These Brands

Aug 1, 2012 8:50 AM CDT

Mortgage Lender Didn’t Show Enough Damages to Sue Law Firm for Defamation Over Marketing Mailer

A mortgage lender didn’t show enough damages to establish jurisdiction to sue a California law firm for defamation in federal court, a federal judge has ruled. While Guaranteed Rate Inc. contended that its reputation had been damaged by a mailer sent on behalf of Costa Mesa-based NHT Law Group, there…

Jul 10, 2012 8:36 PM CDT

Federal Judge Says Kosher Deli Can Keep ‘Heart Attack’ Items On Menu, Add Triple Bypass Sandwich

A federal judge in Manhattan has sided with a New York delicatessen that filed a declaratory judgment action seeking a ruling that it could continue to offer a menu of “heart attack” themed high-calorie selections without violating the Lanham Act. Although the Arizona-based Heart Attack Grill has trademarked both its…

Jul 9, 2012 3:32 PM CDT

Glaxo Agrees to Misdemeanor Plea, Will Pay $3B in Record Health Care Fraud Settlement with Feds

A British drug manufacturer has agreed to pay $1 billion in criminal fines and $2 billion in civil fines and revamp its compliance procedures to settle wide-ranging allegations by U.S. officials of wrongdoing in the company’s marketing and promotion of its products over a period of nearly a decade. The…

Jul 2, 2012 6:10 PM CDT