Advertising Law

Report: Ad Unit That Showed Gangster Movies to Workers Is New Focus of News Corp. Probe

In addition to telephone voice mail hacking and possible police payoffs, another area of concern is reportedly being investigated in a probe of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.: Whether a global marketing subsidiary used scare tactics and other anti-competitive methods to pressure clients and crush rivals for supermarket advertising. Federal authorities…

Sep 27, 2011 6:49 PM CDT

OSHA Shows Video of Another Killer Whale Confrontation in SeaWorld Safety Violation Trial

A lawyer for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration played a video of a trainer’s confrontation with a killer whale on Wednesday in a Florida administrative hearing on SeaWorld’s safety practices. OSHA accused SeaWorld of showing indifference or disregard to employees’ safety and health after a whale killed trainer Dawn…

Sep 22, 2011 1:03 PM CDT

Judge Asked to Toss False Advertising Suit over Commercials for High Fructose Corn Syrup

A federal judge will consider a motion today to toss a false advertising suit filed over commercials promoting high fructose corn syrup. The Corn Refiners Association produced the ads that assert its product is essentially the same as cane sugar. “Your body can’t tell the difference,” the commercials say. But…

Sep 13, 2011 4:46 PM CDT

Joke May Be on Toyota re Online Prank: Lack of Consent Voids Arbitration Pact, Appeals Court Says

It looks like the joke could be on Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., concerning an unusual Internet advertising campaign the automaker developed with Saatchi & Saatchi North America Inc. to market its Matrix automobile. The campaign, which was targeted at young men, encouraged them to provide Toyota with the name…

Sep 12, 2011 11:19 PM CDT

Four Tobacco Companies File Suit Claiming New Warnings Violate Free Speech Rights

Four of the nation’s five largest tobacco companies claim violations of their free speech rights in a lawsuit challenging new tobacco warning labels. The new labels include pictures of diseased lungs and the sewn-up corpse of a smoker, the Associated Press reports. Rather than just conveying the facts, the warnings…

Aug 17, 2011 2:47 PM CDT

Nexgen Defamation Suits Amount to Scare Tactics, Say Targets

Plaintiff lawyers with product liability cases against knee replacement manufacturer Zimmer Holdings Inc. are getting hit with cease-and-desist letters from company, which claims the attorneys’ Internet writings and television advertisements distort the product’s safety record. The company faces 78 product liability actions over its artificial knee product known as NexGen…

Aug 8, 2011 3:35 PM CDT

Buffalo City Leaders Want Law Firm to Pull Ad Filmed in Council Chambers

A personal injury firm in Buffalo has drawn the ire of city leaders after a television ad spot there started appearing. It wasn’t the content of the Cellino & Barnes’ commercial. Instead, city council members are upset over the commercial’s location: Buffalo’s Common Council Chambers. The chambers is a backdrop…

Aug 4, 2011 10:01 AM CDT

UK Bans Misleading Airbrushed Makeup Ads Featuring Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington

A United Kingdom regulator has banned as misleading magazine makeup ads featuring actress Julia Roberts and supermodel Christy Turlington, Sky News reports. The digitally manipulated images of the two women, who are in their early 40s, wearing L’Oreal and Maybelline foundation products, give readers an unrealistic idea of what they…

Jul 28, 2011 12:32 AM CDT

Europe’s Top Court Says eBay Could Be Liable in Sales of Counterfeit Goods

Europe’s top court has ruled that online auction sites such as eBay could be liable for trademark infringement if they actively promote counterfeit goods. The court ruled after L’Oreal alleged in a series of suits that eBay was liable for selling counterfeit goods and imported L’Oreal products not intended for…

Jul 12, 2011 11:31 AM CDT

Some Companies Behind Shrinking Belly Ad Are Conning Consumers, FTC Alleges

Those online ads showing a shrinking waistline and offering “1 Tip for a Tiny Belly” have linked to some diet companies that are conning consumers, the Federal Trade Commission has alleged. Independent promoters sell the ads to companies hawking diet products made from foods such as acai berries and African…

Jul 7, 2011 1:16 PM CDT

Best Buy Not Amused by Competitor’s Ad, Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter

Nearly 600,000 YouTube viewers to date have enjoyed an amusing new 30-second commercial by Newegg, the online consumer electronics retailer. In the commercial, shot from the vantage point of a potential customer, a clueless teenage salesman in a blue shirt at a big box store tries to explain the difference…

Jun 28, 2011 9:48 PM CDT

Racketeering Suit Filed Against Lady Gaga Over Charity Wristbands

Lawyers from Michigan-based 1-800-LAW-FIRM have filed a federal racketeering suit against international sensation Lady Gaga, claiming the entertainer improperly profited from “We Pray for Japan” charity wristbands sold on her website. Gaga began selling the $5 wristbands on her site shortly after a tsunami struck Japan in March, promising fans…

Jun 27, 2011 10:59 PM CDT

NBA Star Sues to Keep Ex-Fiancee Off of ‘Basketball Wives’ Reality Show

Orlando Magic basketball player Gilbert Arenas filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles on Monday to try to prevent his ex-fiancée from appearing in the upcoming reality series Basketball Wives: LA. In the suit, Arenas accuses Laura Govan and Shed Media US of trademark infringement, false advertising and misappropriation of…

Jun 27, 2011 7:13 PM CDT

Ban on Sale of Prescription Drug Info Violates First Amendment, Supreme Court Rules

A law that bars pharmacies from selling prescription information to drug marketers violates the constitutional right to free speech, the U.S. Supreme Court has held. In his majority opinion (PDF), Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said the Vermont law fails under a heightened scrutiny test. Drugmakers typically use the prescription information,…

Jun 23, 2011 3:02 PM CDT

FTC Should Probe Law Schools’ Employment Stats, Recent Grad Asserts

A recent law grad is getting some support for his assertion that the Federal Trade Commission could investigate whether law schools are violating federal consumer protection law. Joel Murray, a recent graduate of the University of California at Davis law school, posted a paper outlining his conclusions at the Social…

Jun 17, 2011 12:48 PM CDT