Historically, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has touted self-regulation as integral to consumer protection. This has included encouraging industries to work with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in developing a self-regulatory body that can promote industry-wide policies and heightened compliance. However, late last month, the FTC criticized guidance promulgated by a self-regulatory body calling into question how much the current FTC values industry self-regulation.  

In 2023, the BBB National Programs’ Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), a self-regulatory agency for multilevel marketers (MLMs) and their members, released a guidance document on the use of Income Disclosure Statements (IDS). The purpose of IDS is to give prospective members information on the amount of income they can expect to earn in a business. Although these disclosures are not mandatory, if issued, they must comply with FTC regulations, as they are considered advertisements.

Continue Reading Not So Fast: FTC Letter Rebukes Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council Guidance

Episode 12 of the Ad Law Tool Kit Show, “Telemarketing and Texting,” is now available. Listen here, or search for it in your favorite podcast player.

Telephone and text marketing is ubiquitous these days. But those tools also pose private litigation risks and regulatory hurdles that marketers should be aware of at the outset of any campaign. They involve legal and regulatory complexities, including do-not-call laws enforced by the FTC, FCC, and states.

Continue Reading Listen to Episode 12 of Venable’s Ad Law Tool Kit Show – “Telemarketing and Texting”

Join us as we spotlight select chapters of Venable’s popular Advertising Law Tool Kit, which helps marketing teams navigate their organization’s legal risk. Click here to download the entire Tool Kit, and tune in to the Ad Law Tool Kit Show podcast, to hear an author of this chapter dive deeper into state AG inquiries in this week’s episode.

State attorneys general (AGs) are the chief legal officers of their states or territories and can bring actions to protect the “public interest” in almost any area of law. They represent the state government and the general public and have broad jurisdiction over everything from public corruption to consumer protection.

Continue Reading State Attorney General Inquiries: An Excerpt from the Advertising Law Tool Kit

Episode 11 of the Ad Law Tool Kit Show, “State Attorney General Investigations,” is now available. Listen here, or search for it in your favorite podcast player.

State attorneys general (AGs) are the chief legal officers of their states, and their areas of concern are vast. Aggressive enforcement against telemarking, debt relief, privacy violations, and charity fraud can generate goodwill with an AG’s state residents. Compliance with laws, prompt complaint resolution, and proactive engagement with AGs are crucial.

In this episode, I talk to former Venable partner Alex Megaris about how businesses facing AG inquiries should retain documents, negotiate confidentiality agreements, and focus efforts on smaller AG committees in multi-state actions to manage these probes effectively.

Continue Reading Listen to Episode 11 of Venable’s Ad Law Tool Kit Show – “State Attorney General Investigations”

helps marketing teams navigate their organization’s legal risk. Click here to download the entire Tool Kit, and tune in to the Ad Law Tool Kit Show podcast, to hear the authors of this chapter dive deeper into website accessibility in this week’s episode.

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on disability by “public accommodations.” The explosion of online commerce has forced the question: Does Title III apply to websites?

In a few jurisdictions, Title III applies only if the website has a nexus to an actual physical space. For instance, the California Court of Appeals recently issued a decision finding that the websites of “online-only” businesses are not places of public accommodation under the ADA or state law. It is a bit early to tell, but the decision is expected to substantially reduce the volume of website accessibility lawsuits filed in California. Organizations should keep in mind, however, that a plaintiff may still satisfy the “nexus” requirement when a website contains information about a brick-and-mortar location, such as store hours, or goods sold at a company’s store.

Continue Reading Website Accessibility: An Excerpt from the Advertising Law Tool Kit

Episode 10 of the Ad Law Tool Kit Show, “Website Accessibility,” is now available. Listen here, or search for it in your favorite podcast player.

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits disability discrimination in public accommodations. But whether it applies to websites differs by location. California exempts online-only businesses, for example, but elsewhere, offering online goods or services can mandate compliance.

In this episode, I talk to Venable attorneys Karel Mazanec and Nick Reiter about recent court decisions that provide defenses against generic lawsuits, stressing specific injury claims. The explosion of online commerce has forced the question: How does Title III apply to websites?

Continue Reading Listen to Episode 10 of Venable’s Ad Law Tool Kit Show—”Website Accessibility”

On March 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted new rules that require cable television operators and satellite video providers to specify the aggregate monthly all-in price for video programming services on customer bills, any advertising, and all promotional materials in a “clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate single line-item.”

The price must include all charges for broadcast stations, sports programming, and any other programming. Other line items such as taxes, administrative fees, equipment fees, franchise fees, and fees for public, educational, and governmental (PEG) channels are not required to be part of the all-in price.

Continue Reading FCC Adopts Video Service All-In Pricing Rules

Join us as we spotlight select chapters of Venable’s popular Advertising Law Tool Kit, which helps marketing teams navigate their organization’s legal risk. Click here to download the entire Tool Kit, and tune in to the Ad Law Tool Kit Show podcast, to hear an author of this chapter dive deeper into copyright counseling and protection in this week’s episode.

A properly maintained copyright portfolio is essential to any successful brand owner. Copyright can extend to advertisement copy, manuals, visuals, art, photography, storyboards, scripts, film, video, online components, mobile apps, social media posts, websites, music, developed characters appearing in ads, and logos.

From the outset, it is vital to ensure that you will own the rights to the intellectual property (IP) being created. If any content is created by someone who is not an employee operating in the scope of employment, you need a written agreement in place to ensure ownership, through either a work-for-hire agreement or an assignment, with special nuances in some states, such as California.

Continue Reading Copyright Counseling and Protection: An Excerpt from the Advertising Law Tool Kit

Last month, the Supreme Court of Maryland delivered a pivotal ruling defining the scope of the Maryland Telephone Solicitations Act (MTSA), holding that the act extended to inbound calls initiated by consumers who engaged with merchant advertisements. The Maryland Supreme Court also confirmed that the Maryland Public Service Commission can enforce the MTSA against covered entities.

The case, In the Matter of Smart Energy Holdings, LLC D/B/A SmartEnergy, originated in response to customer complaints to the Public Service Commission’s Consumer Affairs Division (CAD) alleging that their bills were excessive and that they were unable to cancel their service with SmartEnergy, a provider of 100% green energy. After proceedings before an administrative law judge, the Public Service Commission held:

Continue Reading The Power of Customer Calls: Maryland Supreme Court Upholds Public Service Commission’s Interpretation of the Maryland Telephone Solicitations Act

Venable’s Advertising and Marketing Group hosted its 10th Advertising Law Symposium on March 21 in Washington, DC. The group welcomed in-house counsel, advertising executives, and marketing professionals for a full day of sessions on the latest developments in advertising law and what to watch for soon.

Here are some highlights:

Patchwork of Privacy Laws Makes Compliance a Challenge

Frequent data breaches and incidents like the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal have increased criticism of the United States’ approach to regulating privacy through a patchwork of federal and state laws and industry self-regulatory codes. But even harsh critiques have not been enough to spur Congress to pass a preemptive privacy law that would supersede the jumble of state laws and regulations and streamline things. Partner Rob Hartwell and associate Allie Monticollo said marketers and advertisers should watch what’s happening in the states and mitigate risk accordingly.

Continue Reading Event in Review: 10th Advertising Law Symposium