This past week, several consumer actions made headlines that affect the retail industry.
Weight-Loss Drug Maker Settles Claims and Sheds $3.7 Million
Makers of BioTherapex and NeuroPlus agreed to refrain from engaging in numerous business practices, including making marketing claims that are not substantiated by scientific evidence. Specifically, they are banned from making any of the seven “gut check” weight-loss claims that the FTC has warned are always false for over-the-counter dietary supplements, like BioTherapex. Additionally, they are banned from making unsubstantiated or false claims about the benefits of NeuroPlus in protecting against Alzheimer’s and dementia. Defendants are also ordered to pay $3.7 million, which will be suspended upon payment of $800,000.
The retail industry has seen a rapid adoption of chat robots, or “chatbots,” by retailers looking to deploy new technologies to more effectively engage consumers and drive sales on their e-commerce platforms. So what exactly are chatbots? Chatbots are interactive software that can converse and interact with end users, much like a customer service representative would, by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence.
Equal pay issues continue to be a focus for new state legislation and of the private plaintiff’s bar. Labor and Employment partner Emily Burkhardt Vicente and counsel Christy Kiely at Hunton & Williams LLP discuss how employers can best position themselves to defend against claims of compensation discrimination.
There is plenty of recall activity to report but no civil penalty news to report for November. Perhaps the holiday spirit prevails at the CPSC in this holiday season.
Hoverboards were last year’s hottest toy during the holiday season, but they also caused alarm due to the tendency of their lithium-ion battery packs to overheat while charging, causing the hoverboards to catch fire or explode. This year, the CPSC is taking a proactive approach to hoverboards. In May and again this month, hoverboards by the same manufacturer caused house fires and prompted the CPSC to warn consumers to stop using those hoverboards altogether. Further, a hoverboard by a different manufacturer recently caught fire and caused $40,000 of property damage to a consumer’s home. These serious reports culminated in the CPSC issuing seven recalls this month for hoverboards by different manufacturers due to their potential fire and explosion hazards.
These past two weeks, several consumer actions made headlines that affect the retail industry.
Competitor Pacified After Infant Cereal Maker Discontinues Advertising Claims
Beech-Nut Nutrition Company said it will stop advertising claims connected to infant cereal products that a competitor challenged before the NAD. The challenged claims include “0” grams of sugar, “natural,” “complete” nutrition, and “formulated to be gentle on baby’s tummy,” among others. The NAD will treat the discontinued claims as if it had recommended they be discontinued and Beech-Nut complied.
On November 10, 2017, the New York Department of Labor released a set of proposed regulations affecting the Minimum Wage Order for Miscellaneous Industries and Occupations, which applies to most employers, except hotels and restaurants.
The Westside Pavilion—the 755,000 square foot, 1970s fortress-style mall located in West Los Angeles—has been put up for sale by its owner, Santa Monica-based REIT Macerich Co. Tom O’Hern, Macerich’s CFO, predicted that the property would likely sell within a year. And although the Westside Pavilion is facing many of the same systemic pressures that other malls are facing nationwide, those are not the only reasons the mall is up for sale.
This past week, several consumer actions made headlines that affect the retail industry.
FTC Seeks Public Comment on Sears’ Petition to Modify Prior Order
Sears Holding Management Corporation has requested that the FTC reopen and modify a 2009 Commission Order settling charges that Sears inadequately disclosed the scope of consumer data collected through the company’s software application. The initial FTC complaint alleged that Sears represented to consumers that its downloadable software application would track users’ “online browsing,” but in fact tracked nearly all of the users’ Internet behavior. Sears petitioned the FTC to modify the Order’s definition of “tracking system,” which the company contends is overbroad and impracticable. The FTC is seeking public comment on Sears’ petition, which it will receive until December 8, 2017.
On November 1, 2017, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14I, which provides additional guidance for public companies (including retailers) seeking to exclude certain shareholder proposals from their proxy materials. Under this bulletin, the SEC staff now expects boards of directors to analyze shareholder proposals before companies make no-action requests to exclude such proposals from proxy materials under Rule 14a-8(i)(7) (the ordinary business exception) or Rule 14a-8(i)(5) (the economic relevance ...
This past week, several consumer actions made headlines that affect the retail industry.
Hilton Reaches $700,000 Settlement with New York and Vermont Over Data Breaches
The Attorney Generals of New York and Vermont announced a $700,000 settlement with Hilton Domestic Operating Company, Inc., formerly Hilton Worldwide, Inc. (“Hilton”), over two data breaches in 2014 and 2015.
Hilton was notified in February 2015 that it had likely suffered a data breach in December of 2014. In July of 2015, Hilton was notified of a second data breach from the prior three months. Hilton did not provide notice of either data breach until November 24, 2015. New York law requires that businesses provide notice in the “most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay.” Vermont requires that businesses provide notice of data breaches to the Vermont Attorney General within 14 days of discovery, and within 45 days of discovery to consumers.
Under the terms of the settlements, Hilton has agreed to pay New York $400,000 and Vermont $300,000 and to comply with certain behavior remedies related to their notification and security procedures.
Search
Recent Posts
Categories
- Advertising & Marketing
- Bankruptcy
- Class Action
- Competition/Antitrust
- Consumer Protection
- Corporate Governance
- Environmental
- General
- Health Care
- Insurance
- IP
- Labor and Employment
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Patent Infringement
- Patents
- Privacy & Cybersecurity
- Product Liability
- Real Estate
- Regulatory
- Regulatory
- Technology & E-Commerce
Tags
- 29 C.F.R. § 785.48
- 396-r
- 3D Printer
- 3D Printing
- A. Todd Brown
- A.S. Research (ASR)
- Aaron P. Simpson
- Accountability
- Administrative Exemption
- Advertisers
- Advertising
- Advertising Claims
- Advertising Guidelines
- Advertising Idea
- Agency Guidance
- Agency Principles
- AI
- AI Interviewing Platforms
- AI Technology Reviews
- Algorithmic Accountability Act
- Align
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Andrea DeField
- Ann Marie Buerkle
- Annual Reports
- anti-aging
- Anti-Discrimination
- APEX Agreement
- Arbitration
- Arbitration Agreements
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Arthritis
- Artificial Intelligence
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Asbestos
- Assembly Bill 51 (AB 51)
- ATDS
- Australia
- Auto-renewals
- Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS)
- Automobile
- Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA)
- Back to Work Emergency Ordinance
- biased endorsements
- Biden Administration
- Biometric Data
- Biometric Information
- Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)
- BIPA
- Bitcoin
- Blockchain
- Board Diversity Disclosure
- Boards of Directors
- Bonuses
- Braille
- Branding
- Breach
- Breach of Contract
- Business Interruption
- Business Interruption Loss
- Businessowner’s Insurance
- California
- California Assembly Bill 2011
- California Employment Laws
- California Fair Employment and Housing Act
- California False Claims Act
- California Labor Code
- California Senate Bill 6
- California’s Unfair Competition Law
- CAMS
- Canada
- Cannabis
- CBD
- CBP
- CCPA
- Celebrity Endorsers
- Center for Disease Control (CDC)
- CFIUS
- CGL
- Chatbot
- Children’s Advertising
- Children’s Advertising Review Unit
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
- China
- Christopher J. Dufek
- Christopher W. Hasbrouck
- Christy Kiely
- Class Action
- Class Actions
- Clawback
- Click-to-Cancel
- Climate Change
- clinical trials
- Collective Action
- Colorado
- Commercial General Liability
- Commercial Leasing
- Commercial Messaging
- Commercial Products
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Compliance
- Confidentiality
- Congress
- Connecticut
- Consent
- Consent Order
- Consumer Advertising
- Consumer Data
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Consumer Fraud
- consumer loyalty program
- Consumer Product Safety Act
- Consumer Products
- Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC)
- Consumer Protection
- Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016 (CRFA)
- Consumer Reviews
- Consumer Rights
- Contamination
- Contract Law
- Controlled Substance Act
- Cookies
- Cookware
- COPPA
- Copyright
- Coronavirus/COVID-19
- Corp Fin
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate Reporting
- Corporate Sustainability
- Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)
- Costco
- Counterfeit Goods
- Counterfeit Goods Seizure Act of 2019
- CPPA
- CPRA
- CPSA
- CPSC
- Crack House Statute
- CRFA
- Crypto
- Cryptocurrency
- CSPA
- Cuba
- Currency
- Customs and Border Protection
- Cyber
- Cyber Coverage
- D&O
- D&O policies
- D. Andrew Quigley
- Damages
- Data Breach
- Davidson
- Deceptive Advertising
- DEI
- Delaware
- DEP
- Department of Justice
- Department of Labor
- Development Impact Fee
- Digital Assets
- digital currency
- Disclosures
- Distribution
- Division of Corporation Finance
- Dodd-Frank
- DOJ
- DOL
- Duty to Defend
- Duty to Indemnify
- e-liquid products
- Eddie Bauer
- EEOC
- Electric Vehicles
- Eleventh Circuit
- Emily Burkhardt Vicente
- Employee Rights
- Endorsement
- Endorsement Guides
- Endorsement Notice
- Endorsements
- endorser monitoring requirements
- Enforcement
- Environmental Impact
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- EPA
- Epidemic
- ESG
- ESG Disclosure
- EU Regulation
- European Union
- European Unitary Patent
- EV Charging
- Exceptions
- Exclusions
- Executive Order
- Executive Orders
- Exercise Machines
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
- FAA
- Fair Labor Standards Act
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- fair use
- False Advertising
- False Advertising Claims
- False Advertising Law
- False Claims Act
- Family Leave Policies
- FAR
- FCC
- FCRA
- FDA
- Federal Acquisition Regulations
- Federal Arbitration Act (FAA)
- Federal Communications Commission
- Federal Contractors
- Federal Contracts
- Federal District Court
- Federal Government Contractor
- Federal Trade Commission
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- FFDCA
- FIFRA
- Fifth Circuit
- Final Rule
- Financial Technology
- FinCEN
- FinHub
- Fireworks
- First Amendment
- Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act
- Florida
- Florida House of Representatives (HB 963) and Florida Senate (SB 1670)
- Florida Legislature
- FLSA
- FLSA/Wage & Hour
- food delivery
- Food Safety
- Form 10-K
- Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act of 2010
- fractional interests
- Franchise
- Frederic Chang
- Free Trials
- FTC
- FTC Act
- Gavin Newsom
- GDPR
- General Liability
- Geoffrey B. Fehling
- Georgia
- Gift Cards
- GoodRx
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act
- Green
- Green Guides
- Greenhouse Gas
- Gun Safety
- Hart-Scott-Rodino
- Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR)
- Hashtag
- Hawaii
- Health Care
- Health Claims
- Hedge Fund
- HIPAA
- hoverboards
- human capital
- Human Rights
- Illinois
- Illinois Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act (the Illinois Act)
- Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)
- Indiana
- Indoor Mall
- Influencer Marketing
- Infringement
- initial public offerings (IPOs)
- Injury
- Insurance
- Insurance Loss
- Insurance Provider
- Intellectual Property
- Intellectual Property Licenses in Bankruptcy Act
- Interest Rate
- International
- International Trade Commission
- International Trade Commission (ITC)
- Internet
- Inventorship
- investigation
- INVISALIGN
- Iowa
- IP
- Ireland
- IT
- ITC
- iTERO
- Junk Fees
- Katherine Miller
- Kurt A. Powell
- Kurt G. Larkin
- Labeling Rules
- Labor
- Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA)
- Labor Organizing
- Labor Unions
- Land Use
- Landlord
- Latin America
- Lautenberg Act
- Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York (LRANY)
- Lead
- Lease
- Legislation
- Leveraged Loans
- Liability Insurance Policy
- Liberty Insurance Corporation
- Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company
- LIBOR Discontinuation
- liquidity
- Litigation
- Live Chat
- Lost Profits
- Lost Sales
- Louisiana
- M&A
- Made in the USA
- Made in USA
- MagicSleeve
- Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
- Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (MMWA)
- Maine
- Malcolm C. Weiss
- Manufacturing
- Marketing Claims
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Matthew T. McLellan
- Maya M. Eckstein
- MD&A
- Medtail
- Membership cancellation
- Metaverse
- MeToo Movement
- Mexico
- Michael J. Mueller
- Michael S. Levine
- Minimum Wage
- Minnesota
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
- Misclassification
- Mislabeling
- Mission Product Holdings
- Missouri
- Mobile
- Mobile App
- Multi-Family Housing Development
- Multi-Level Marketing Program (MLM)
- NAA
- NAD
- NASA
- Nasdaq
- National Advertising Division
- National Advertising Division (NAD)
- National Advertising Review Board
- National Labor Relations Act
- National Labor Relations Board
- National Products Inc.
- National Retail Federation
- Natural Disaster
- Nebraska
- Negligence Claims
- Neil K. Gilman
- Network Outage
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- NHTSA
- NIL rights
- Ninth Circuit
- NLRA
- NLRB
- no-action request
- Non-Compete
- Non-Exempt
- non-fungible token (NFT)
- North Carolina
- Nutrition Labels
- Obama Administration
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Occurrence
- Office of Labor Standards Enforcement
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Online Cash Providers
- Online Retailer
- Online Reviews
- Opioids
- Oregon
- Overboarding
- Overtime
- Overtime Exemptions
- Ownership
- Packaging
- PAGA
- Pandemic
- Patent
- Patent Infringement
- Patents
- Paul T. Moura
- Pay Ratio
- Pay-To-Play Rankings
- Penalty
- Pennsylvania
- Personal and Advertising Injury
- Personal Data
- Personal Information
- Personally Identifiable Information
- Pesticides
- PFAS
- Physical Loss or Damage
- Policy
- price gouging
- Primary and Umbrella Policies
- Privacy
- Privacy Guidelines
- Privacy Policy
- Privacy Protections
- Procurement
- Product Liability
- Product Packaging
- Prohibition on Sale
- Property Insurance
- Property Rights
- Proposed Legislation
- Proposition 65
- Proxy Access
- proxy materials
- Proxy Statements
- Public Companies
- Purdue Pharma
- Randall S. Parks
- Ransomware
- Real Estate
- Recall
- Recalls
- Recording
- Regulation
- Regulation S-K
- Restaurants
- Restrictive Covenants
- Retail
- Retail Developers
- Retail Development
- Retail Industry Leaders Association
- Retail Litigation Center
- Rounding
- Rulemaking
- Ryan A. Glasgow
- Sales Tax
- Salesforce
- SD8 coins
- SEC
- SEC Disclosure
- Second Circuit
- Section 337
- Section 365
- Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act of 2019 (“SAFE Banking Act”)
- Securities
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- security checks
- Senate
- Senate Data Handling Report
- Sergio F. Oehninger
- Service Contract Act (SCA)
- Service Interruption
- Service Provider
- SHARE
- Shareholder
- Shareholder Proposals
- Sign-In Wrap Agreement
- Slogan
- Smart Contracts
- Social Media
- Social Media Influencers
- Software
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs)
- Sponsors and Gifting
- Sponsorship
- State Attorneys General
- State Legislation
- Store Closures
- Subscription Services
- Substantiation
- Substantiation Notice
- Supplier
- Supply Chain
- Supply contracts
- Supreme Court
- Sustainability
- Syed S. Ahmad
- Synovia
- Targeted Advertising
- Tax
- TCCWNA
- TCPA
- Technology
- Technology Innovation
- Telemarketing
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
- Tempnology LLC
- Tenant
- Tennessee
- Terms and Conditions
- Texas
- The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Third-Party
- Thomas R. Waskom
- Title VII
- Tokenization
- Tokens
- Toxic Chemicals
- Toxic Substances Control Act
- Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
- Trade Dress
- Trademark
- Trademark Infringement
- Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB)
- TransUnion
- Travel
- Trump Administration
- TSCA
- TSCA Title VI
- U.S. Department of Justice
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- U.S. House of Representatives
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Umbrella Liability
- Union
- Union Organizing
- United Specialty Insurance Company
- Unmanned Aircraft
- Unruh Civil Rights Act
- UPSTO
- US Chamber of Commerce
- US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- US International Trade Commission (ITC)
- US Origin Claims
- US Patent and Trademark Office
- US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- US Supreme Court
- USDA
- USPTO
- Utah
- Varidesk
- Vendor
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Emissions
- W. Jeffery Edwards
- Wage and Hour
- Walter J. Andrews
- Warranties
- Warranty
- Washington
- Washington DC
- WCAG
- Web Accessibility
- Website
- Website Accessibility
- Weight Loss
- Wiretap
- Wiretapping
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Wyoming
- Year In Review
- Zoning
- Zoning Conversion
- Zoning Ordinances
- Zoning Regulations
Authors
- Gary A. Abelev
- Alexander Abramenko
- Yaniel Abreu
- Syed S. Ahmad
- Brandon Bell
- Fawaz A. Bham
- Michael J. “Jack” Bisceglia
- Jeremy S. Boczko
- Brian J. Bosworth
- Shannon S. Broome
- Samuel L. Brown
- Tyler P. Brown
- Melinda Brunger
- Jimmy Bui
- M. Brett Burns
- Olivia G. Bushman
- Matthew J. Calvert
- Grant H. Cokeley
- Abigail Contreras
- Eric S. Crusius
- Alexandra B. Cunningham
- Merideth Snow Daly
- Javier De Luna
- Timothy G. Decker
- Andrea DeField
- John J. Delionado
- Stephen P. Demm
- Mayme Donohue
- Nicholas Drews
- Christopher J. Dufek
- Robert T. Dumbacher
- M. Kaylan Dunn
- Chloe Dupre
- Frederick R. Eames
- Maya M. Eckstein
- Rob Edwards
- Tara L. Elgie
- Clare Ellis
- Latosha M. Ellis
- Juan C. Enjamio
- Kelly L. Faglioni
- Ozzie A. Farres
- Geoffrey B. Fehling
- Hannah Flint
- Erin F. Fonté
- Kevin E. Gaunt
- Andrew G. Geyer
- Armin Ghiam
- Neil K. Gilman
- Ryan A. Glasgow
- Tonya M. Gray
- Meredith Gregston
- Elisabeth R. Gunther
- Steven M. Haas
- Kevin Hahm
- Jason W. Harbour
- Jeffrey L. Harvey
- Christopher W. Hasbrouck
- Eileen Henderson
- Gregory G. Hesse
- Kirk A. Hornbeck
- Rachel E. Hudgins
- Mark Ingram
- Jamie Zysk Isani
- Nicole R. Johnson
- Roland M. Juarez
- Suzan Kern
- Jason J. Kim
- Scott H. Kimpel
- Elizabeth King
- Andrew S. Koelz
- Leslie W. Kostyshak
- Perie Reiko Koyama
- Torsten M. Kracht
- Brad Kuntz
- Kurt G. Larkin
- Tyler S. Laughinghouse
- Matthew Z. Leopold
- Michael S. Levine
- Ashley Lewis
- Abigail M. Lyle
- Maeve Malik
- Eric R. Markus
- Brandon Marvisi
- John Gary Maynard, III
- Aubrianna L. Mierow
- Gray Moeller
- Reilly C. Moore
- Michael D. Morfey
- Ann Marie Mortimer
- Michael J. Mueller
- J. Drei Munar
- Marcus E. Nelson
- Matthew Nigriny
- Justin F. Paget
- Christopher M. Pardo
- Randall S. Parks
- Katherine C. Pickens
- Gregory L. Porter
- Robert T. Quackenboss
- D. Andrew Quigley
- Michael Reed
- Shawn Patrick Regan
- Jonathan D. Reichman
- Kelli Regan Rice
- Patrick L. Robson
- Amber M. Rogers
- Natalia San Juan
- Katherine P. Sandberg
- Arthur E. Schmalz
- Daniel G. Shanley
- Madison W. Sherrill
- Kevin V. Small
- J.R. Smith
- Bennett Sooy
- Daniel Stefany
- Hak Stepanyan
- Katherine Tanzola
- Javaneh S. Tarter
- Jessica N. Vara
- Emily Burkhardt Vicente
- Mark R. Vowell
- Gregory R. Wall
- Thomas R. Waskom
- Malcolm C. Weiss
- Holly H. Williamson
- Samuel Wolff
- Steven L. Wood
- Jingyi “Alice” Yao
- Jessica G. Yeshman