Information, news and updates on legal and regulatory activities pertaining to advertising and marketing around the globe
For those following the fallout from the Fyre Festival, the drama continues. Last week, model and influencer Kendall Jenner settled a bankruptcy lawsuit for $90,000 relating to her promotion of the Festival.
To refresh your memory, Fyre Festival was planned for spring 2017, advertised as a music and culinary paradise held on a private island…
Join Jason Gordon on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, for a live webinar hosted by the FDLI and titled, “Influencers, Social Media Advertising, and Litigation Risks for Food and Dietary Supplement Companies.”
Food and dietary supplement companies are increasingly using influencers and social media to advertise their products. These marketing strategies are even…
The FTC recently settled with Teami, LLC (“Teami”), an indication that the Agency is still actively reviewing health claims and monitoring social media influencers for proper disclosures. Teami allegedly brought in over $15 million through its deceptive marketing tactics, but given the company’s financial condition, the FTC agreed to partially suspend its $15.2 million judgment…
On February 13, 2020, the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) published a proposal to soften the regulatory requirements for influencers for labeling their posts as advertising (Proposal). Under the Proposal, statements posted on social media about products for which no consideration was given – either in the form of monetary compensation…
On Tuesday, the FTC released a set of guidelines for online influencers dictating when and how influencers must disclose sponsorships to their followers. The guidelines, available here, break down disclosure requirements and provide tips for influencers on how to avoid deceptive advertising.
In general, the guidelines largely reflect what the industry has gleaned from…
Earlier this year, the New York Attorney General reached a “precedent-setting” settlement with Devumi LLC, a third-party website, over its sale of fake followers, “likes,” and views to customers on all major social media platforms. Devumi utilized computer-operated “bot” accounts and “sock-puppet accounts” (where an online user pretends to be one or many other people)…
Recently, the German media regulators, the State Media Authorities (Landesmedienanstalten), issued a joint guidance paper on marking adverts on social media. For more information, click here.
We are all familiar with celebrities and social media stars using their social media accounts to promote brands and products. For some, it is their main source of income and they can make millions in endorsement and sponsorship deals. Major TV and sports icons can command hundreds of thousands of pounds per post, which…
Please join us for a complimentary webinar hosted by the Association of National Advertisers on the current issues related to influencer marketing, for industry experts. Jason Gordon, partner in the Entertainment & Media Group at Reed Smith, and Jennifer MacDougall, VP, associate general counsel and assistant corporate secretary & ethics officer at Jack in the …
On August 15, Danielle A. Singer and her company Project Therapy, LLC (dba Therapy Threads) filed a class-action complaint against Facebook, Inc. over its claims concerning ad audiences. According to the Complaint, Facebook overstates its audience metrics in order to induce advertisers to spend money on ads on the platform.
The plaintiffs allege, in part,…
