Insights
Intellectual Property Strategies Every CEO Needs for the Sharing Economy
March 6, 2017The “sharing economy” seeks to empower consumers by freeing them from the burdens of ownership. The savvy CEO may wonder: How can the collaborative crowd distinguish counterfeit product from my trusted trademarked or copyrighted products? How can my company remain profitable when consumers eschew new branded goods and services? In fact, the CEO should take comfort in knowing that the brand’s intellectual property remains relevant and valuable in the sharing economy.
Read More...Consumer Protection: Preparing for Evolution under President Trump
January 23, 2017With the inauguration of President Trump, I have four broad predictions about consumer protection under the new administration.
Read More...DMCA Update: Act Now to Maintain Legal Safe Harbor
December 1, 2016The US Copyright Office’s new regulations on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) go into effect today December 1, 2016. In order to maintain a website’s valuable DMCA safe harbor protections, service providers must conform to the new requirements.
Read More...Legal Reasons to Make Sure Consumers Understand Your Advertising Disclosures
October 5, 2016We’ve all seen the fine print in advertising, but do we, as consumers, read or understand what these disclosures say? This inquiry was the focus of the FTC’s recent workshop “Putting Disclosures to the Test.” The consensus was that consumers neither read nor understand many disclosures. At the same time, the workshop suggested some best practices for formulating disclosures, even as the FTC considers whether to increase regulation in this area.
Read More...Hot Legal Issues for Marketers Summer 2016
August 5, 2016It’s August, and brands are heating up their summer campaigns and preparing for fall, Marketers tend to jump on prominent news stories and seek relevance by reacting to them. In so doing, they may run afoul of trademark laws or regulatory compliance issues. The season also brings retail challenges, as bricks and mortar stores try to sell off as much inventory as possible. Price claims in advertising also have legal consequences. Here are some “hot” legal advertising topics.
Read More...Native Advertising Legal Analysis and Practice Tips
July 21, 2016Advertising that feels and looks like editorial platform content has existed for decades. In the age of social media, however, “native advertising,” as it is now often called, has become more confusing. Brands have become more sophisticated at disguising their advertising messages within the editorial content, making it more difficult to differentiate commercial speech. The transition from editorial to sponsored content may be so seamless that consumers may not realize that they are perusing advertising. On the heels of John Oliver’s diatribe against this practice, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) remains consistently concerned about native advertising’s potential to deceive consumers.
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