FTC Approves Final Consent Orders with Five Companies that Allegedly Violated the Consumer Review Fairness Act

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved final orders settling charges that five companies violated the Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA) by including provisions in form contracts that bar their customers from posting negative reviews. According to the agency’s administrative complaints, the first three of which were announced in May 2019 […]

FTC Approves Final Consent Order against UrthBox, Inc. and its Principal Related to Compensated Online Reviews and “Free” Trial Offer

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that San Francisco-based UrthBox, Inc. and its principal misrepresented that customer reviews were independent when, in fact, the company provided those customers with free products and other incentives to post positive reviews online. According to the agency’s April 2019 […]

FTC Announces First Actions Exclusively Enforcing the Consumer Review Fairness Act

The Federal Trade Commission has issued three separate proposed administrative complaints and orders enforcing the Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA), which prohibits businesses from using form contract provisions that bar consumers from writing or posting negative reviews online, or threatening them with legal action if they do. These are the first Commission actions exclusively focused […]

FTC Approves Final Consent Orders Settling Endorsement and Deceptive Native Advertising Charges against Creaxion Corporation and Inside Publications, LLC

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved two final orders settling allegations that Creaxion Corporation, Inside Publications, LLC, and their respective principals misrepresented that paid endorsements were independent consumer opinions and that commercial advertising was independent journalistic content. According to the FTC’s complaint, Creaxion proposed launching and promoting its client’s new […]

FTC Approves Final Consent Order against Owners of CSGO Lotto Website

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order settling its first-ever case against individual social media influencers, the owners of the CSGO Lotto website. The Commission’s September 7, 2017 complaint charged Trevor “TmarTn” Martin and Thomas “Syndicate” Cassell, two online influencers who are widely followed in the gaming […]

FTC Approves Final Order Barring AmeriFreight from Deceptively Touting Online Consumer Reviews and Failing to Disclose Incentives It Provided to Reviewers

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order with AmeriFreight, an automobile shipment broker, which stops the company from touting its highly rated online reviews while failing to disclose that the company compensated consumers to write them. According to the FTC’s February 2015 complaint, AmeriFreight represented that its […]