Made in USA

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My Patriot Supply (or “MPS”) and 4Patriots both make long-term survival food kits and related products. If a natural disaster strikes, if AI-powered bots wreak havoc on humanity, or if you just want to binge-watch your favorite shows and tune out the rest of the world, these companies have your back. But they don’t have each other’s backs.

Last year, MPS challenged various claims that 4Patriots made about its food kits at the NAD, and this year, 4Patriots filed its own challenge against MPS. Although much of what’s in NAD’s decisions may not be relevant to companies outside of this niche market, the most recent decision address at least three issues that regularly come up across a broad range of industries.

Made in USA

The MPS website included various claims that products were “Made in USA” alongside patriotic imagery. Because 4Patriots sells similar products, it knows that some of the ingredients in the MPS kits are likely to be imported. NAD summarized the requirements for “Made in USA” claims – which we’ve also summarized here – and recommended that MPS qualify its claims with a clear and conspicuous disclosure explaining that some of the ingredients in its kits are imported.…

Continue Reading Advertising Lessons from the Survival Industry

We periodically stumble across older FTC investigations that have new relevance, and post about them as reminders. That happened recently as we get more questions about the use of recycled content and the desire to tout U.S.-based manufacturing. Although the FTC’s Enforcement Policy Statement and regulation regarding Made in USA claims do not mention how…

Lions Not Sheep is a clothing company that, in its own words, allows consumers who wear its clothes to “show people it’s possible to live your life as a LION, not a sheep.” In addition to making people aware of that possibility, the company prominently advertises that its goods are “Made in the USA,” “Made…

Did the Other Shoe Drop? Another Class Action Against New Balance for its “Made in USA” ClaimsThe FTC regularly investigates Made in USA claims, but private actions have been less frequent. New Balance, however, has faced at least two class action lawsuits alleging it falsely advertises its footwear products as “Made in the USA.” The most recent complaint , proposing a nationwide class, was filed in the U.S. District Court for…

Our colleagues have just published an advisory that summarizes recent amendments made by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Buy American Act requirements. The amendments implement the Biden Administration’s Executive Order “Ensuring the Future Is Made in all of America by All of America’s Workers.”  See the advisory for the full details.

We carefully monitor Made…

Commissioners Cut Procedures, Rescind Policy, Empower Staff, Target Tech

With an unprecedented attack on policies the Federal Trade Commission had long embraced, the new majority of Democratic Commissioners revealed a bold enforcement agenda that would circumvent Supreme Court decisions and avoid Congressional limits.

It was a meeting like none the Federal Trade Commission has ever held. On one week’s notice, the Commission adopted new rules to impose civil penalties on substandard Made-in-USA claims, removed judges and safeguards from rulemaking proceedings, rescinded its 2015 enforcement policy statement on unfair methods of competition, and granted staff more authority to issue subpoenas and civil investigative demands. The vote on every issue followed party lines. Republican Commissioners, Noah Phillips and Christine Wilson, voted against all, and the Democratic Commissioners, Chopra, Khan, and Slaughter, rejected all amendments. Chair Khan announced that public meetings will become regular events at the FTC. …
Continue Reading Chopra, Khan, Slaughter Take Control of the Federal Trade Commission

The Senate recently passed the Country of Origin Labeling Online Act (COOL Online Act) with overwhelming bipartisan support. Currently, U.S. law requires that external packaging for many products state the product’s country of origin. The uptick in online shopping and the sale of imported products, however, has increased interest in requiring country of origin disclosures…