Archive for the 'Marketing' Category
Advertising Standards Canada will be holding two upcoming workshops on the basics of Canadian food related advertising regulations in Montreal (September 19th) and Toronto (September 25th). These two hour workshops will address common questions relating to Canadian food advertising related regulations, including how to compare foods, “common names”, how to claim that products are “fresh” / “natural” or “healthy”, nutrient content claims and health claims.
For more information see: The ABC’s of Food Advertising Regulations.
Flipping through The Lawyers Weekly today, which as a bit of an aside seemed to me to have a slightly spiffier look, several new Canadian regulatory and IP law texts caught my eye:
Canadian Food and Drug Legislation & Commentary (2012) (LexisNexis)
“Canada’s leading compilation of federal food and drug laws. Food and drug legislation is a critical part of Canada’s national regulatory framework. Consumers of foods, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics look to this system to ensure that regulated products meet all health and safety standards. Thousands of professionals have a responsibility to interpret and apply the statutes and regulations in this extremely complex area of law. Canadian Food and Drug Legislation meets the research and reference needs of this growing group. This unique compilation includes the most up-to-date Food and Drugs Act and all related federal statutes and regulations. A detailed index further simplifies your research. The commentary, prepared by Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, which has one of Canada’s largest food and drugs practices, explains the legal framework and recent developments, and gives an overview of each part and division of the key legislation as follows: Food and Drugs Act and all regulations under the Act; Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and Regulations; Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and Regulations; Canada Agricultural Products Act and Regulations.”
Halsbury’s Laws of Canada – Patents, Trade Secrets and Industrial Designs (2012) (LexisNexis)
“In the age of information, the ability to protect a client’s rights in intellectual property can be as important as the creation of that property itself. Like a right without a remedy, a proprietary asset without legal recognition may be no asset at all. So, while patent applications or industrial design issues may be best left to intellectual property specialists, a sound appreciation of the law and the issues shouldn’t be. Newly revised and thoroughly updated, Halsbury’s Laws of Canada – Patents, Trade Secrets and Industrial Designs (2012 Reissue) is the ideal source for authoritative commentary on this always important subject. Authored by two of Canada’s leading intellectual property experts, it clearly delineates the law governing patents of invention in Canada, as codified by the Patent Act, as well as the law pertaining to trade secrets and industrial design.”
For more information and ordering details see: Canadian Food and Drug Legislation and Patents, Trade Secrets and Industrial Designs.
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CANADIAN CONTEST RULES/PRECEDENTS
Do you need contest rules/precedents
for a Canadian contest?
We offer many types of Canadian contest/sweepstakes law precedents and forms (i.e., Canadian contest/sweepstakes law precedents to run common types of contests in Canada). These include precedents for random draw contests (i.e., where winners are chosen by random draw), skill contests (e.g., essay, photo or other types of contests where entrants submit content that is judged to enter the contest or for additional entries), trip contests and more. Also available are individual Canadian contest/sweepstakes precedents, including short rules (“mini-rules”), long rules, winner releases and a Canadian contest law checklist. For more information or to order, see: Canadian Contest Law Forms/Precedents. If you would like to discuss legal advice in relation to your contest or other promotion, contact us: Contact.
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In my inbox this morning was a newsletter with what I thought was a rather good note by Dale Joerling (Thompson Coburn LLP – St. Louis) on avoiding issues when running a sweepstakes in the U.S.
When I’m out chatting to clients and industry groups about competition and advertising law, some of the most frequently asked questions after gasoline pricing relate to airline pricing – and in particular, why the “price” for flights never seems to be the actual price.
Well, as many folks that work in the competition, advertising or marketing law areas know, there has been increasing pressure recently by enforcement agencies (and a number of regulatory efforts afoot in several industries) to ensure that the advertised price is the price, the price and nothing but the price. Period.
One such initiative is the long anticipated, but slightly slow to come into effect, reforms to airline pricing.
In this regard, late last week, the Canadian Transportation Agency announced that Canadians have two weeks (a bit less since I am writing this over the long weekend) left to comment on proposed airline price advertising regulations.
In making the announcement, the CTA said:
“There are only two weeks remaining to review and comment on the proposed regulatory amendments to the Air Transportation Regulations (ATR) pertaining to the advertisement of the price of air services.
Input received by nearly 3,600 stakeholders and Canadians who participated in the online consultation held in February informed the development of the Agency’s proposed ATR amendments. The proposed amendments were pre-published in Part I of the Canada Gazette on July 3, 2012 to give various interested groups and individuals, as well as Canadians in general, a final opportunity to review and comment. Comments received from interested parties by September 13, 2012 may result in changes to the proposed regulatory amendments. It is anticipated that the final amendments will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II this winter.
CANADIAN CONTEST RULES/PRECEDENTS
Do you need contest rules/precedents
for a Canadian contest?
We offer many types of Canadian contest/sweepstakes law precedents and forms (i.e., Canadian contest/sweepstakes law precedents to run common types of contests in Canada). These include precedents for random draw contests (i.e., where winners are chosen by random draw), skill contests (e.g., essay, photo or other types of contests where entrants submit content that is judged to enter the contest or for additional entries), trip contests and more. Also available are individual Canadian contest/sweepstakes precedents, including short rules (“mini-rules”), long rules, winner releases and a Canadian contest law checklist. For more information or to order, see: Canadian Contest Law Forms/Precedents. If you would like to discuss legal advice in relation to your contest or other promotion, contact us: Contact.
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I am in the habit of doing a daily media sweep for Canadian regulatory law developments. Yesterday, a few contests being run by Canadian companies caught my eye, one, involving social media related follows and blog comments by entrants for a chance to win a prize, unfortunately for lacking many of the key elements for a Canadian contest.
In a recent case that I can only describe as bizarre, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has announced that it has filed false advertising charges against the marketers of “Your Baby Can Read!”, a learning program for toddlers that, according to the FTC, was “widely touted” on the Internet teach young adults (er babies actually) to read.
In making the announcement, the FTC said:
“The FTC complaint charges Your Baby Can, LLC, its former CEO, and the product’s creator with false and deceptive advertising, for claims in ads and product packaging that the program could teach infants and toddlers to read and that scientific studies proved the claims. The complaint also charges company principal and product creator Robert Titzer, Ph.D, with making deceptive expert endorsements. Your Baby Can and Titzer represented that the program taught children as young as nine months old to read; gave children an early start on academic learning, making them more successful in life than those who didn’t use it; and that scientific studies proved these claims, according to the complaint.”
The defendants in this case, it seems, were also industrious marketers, marketing their product in various channels including online (YouTube, Twitter and Facebook), television (infomercials and cable ads on Lifetime, Discovery Kids, Disney DX, Cartoon Network and Nicekelodeon) and retail (including Wal-Mart, Kmart, Walgreens and Toys “R” Us).
With all the recent buzz in Canada around disclaimers, the general impression test and performance claims (including the recent Bell, Nivea, Richard v. Time, Yellow Page Marketing and ongoing Rogers cases), this one caught my eye as a rather perfect storm of allegedly false claims, underlying scientific testing with some expert endorsements thrown in for good measure.
From the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE):
“On September 24-25, 2012, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives will host “Canada in the Pacific Century”, a conference bringing together leaders from business, government, academia, and other key groups to discuss Asia’s rise and the implications for Canada.”
For the updated Agenda see:
“Emerging technologies, new platforms and evolving digital tools are changing the way audiences consume media, connect with brands and ultimately make purchase decisions. With the rise of smartphones, tablets and social media, today’s empowered consumers are seeking out information, interacting with brands and sharing their experiences. The old path-to-purchase model worked well with traditional media and brick-and-mortar stores: it was linear and predictable, starting with an ad and ending with an in-store purchase. But today’s digital path-to-purchase is non-linear and dynamic, with multiple touch points and interactions: consumers are doing everything from downloading product reviews while they’re shopping, to holding up their smartphones on a street to see where the best restaurants are. It’s a seismic shift that is reshaping the marketing and media landscape.
The 2012 Digital Day Conference, presented by Marketing magazine and the Canadian Marketing Association, will explore how best to navigate this fast-changing world and reach audiences at key points along the new purchase-decision journey. The focus will be on real-world examples, creative solutions and inspiring next steps in social media, mobile, online video, gaming, e-commerce, content creation and more.
Join us for a full day of keynote presentations, workshops and panel discussions featuring media, advertising and marketing leaders from across Canada and around the globe.”
Templates/precedents and checklists to run promotional contests in Canada
Templates/precedents and checklists to comply with Canadian anti-spam law (CASL)
