Monthly Archives: July 2025

California’s Made in the USA safe harbors aren’t preempted by federal law

Posted on July 17, 2025 by rtushnet

McCoy v. McCormick & Co., 2025 WL 1918546, No. 1:25-cv-00231-JLT-SAB (E.D. Cal. Jul. 11, 2025) (R&R) McCoy alleged that French’s mustard bottles were falsely advertised with the claim “Crafted and Bottled in Springfield, MO, USA,” appearing at times with “American … Continue reading →

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New book chapter on advertising, TM, and antitrust

Posted on July 16, 2025 by rtushnet

Misleading advertising as a matter of unfair competition law  Graeme B Dinwoodie and Ansgar Ohly (eds), Research Handbook on Unfair Competition and Passing Off (Edward Elgar, forthcoming 2026) Abstract The prohibition of false and misleading advertising should be the prototypical … Continue reading →

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P&G’s brand extension ZzzQuil must face lawsuit alleging falsity of its “Non-Habit Forming” claim

Posted on July 14, 2025 by rtushnet

Sneed v. Procter & Gamble Company, — F.Supp.3d —-, 2025 WL 1017933, No. 23-cv-05443-JST (N.D. Cal. Apr. 4, 2025) This case is about a product I recently noticed, “Nighttime Sleep Aid” products containing diphenhydramine hydrochloride as ZzzQuil. Sneed alleged that … Continue reading →

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GIs can be indications of quality for purposes of applying failure-to-conform exclusion to advertising injury insurance policy

Posted on July 8, 2025 by rtushnet

Allied World Nat’l Assur. Co. v. NHC, Inc., 2025 WL 1852789, No. 22-00469 MWJS-WRP (D. Haw. Jul. 3, 2025) Nice to see good old-fashioned legal reasoning in these times. In the underlying lawsuit, class plaintiffs alleged that MNS falsely advertised … Continue reading →

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breast pump rules: Think Green’s trade dress claims against Medela proceed to trial

Posted on July 7, 2025 by rtushnet

Think Green Ltd. v. Medela AG, 2025 WL 1826137, No. 21 CV 5445 (N.D. Ill. Jul. 2, 2025) Think Green sued Medela for infringing its trade dress in its breast pump, as well as false advertising claims that were quickly … Continue reading →

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ambiguity in consumer class actions v. the Lanham Act: convergence or divergence?

Posted on July 7, 2025 by rtushnet

Slaten v. Christian Dior Perfumes, LLC, 2025 WL 1840026, No. 23-cv-00409-JSC (N.D. Cal. Jul. 3, 2025) The concept of ambiguity is now on a path to become as entrenched in consumer protection cases as in Lanham Act cases. My thinking … Continue reading →

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Southern discomfort: class certified over malt beverage dressed like Southern Comfort whiskey

Posted on July 4, 2025 by rtushnet

Andrews v. Sazerac Co., 2025 WL 1808797, No. 23-cv-1060 (AS) (S.D.N.Y. Jul. 1, 2025) Plaintiffs alleged that Sazerac deceived consumers by selling a malt beverage that looks like Southern Comfort whiskey but in fact contains only “whiskey flavor.” The court … Continue reading →

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5th Circuit agrees that joint TM owners can’t sue each other under any Lanham Act theory

Posted on July 4, 2025 by rtushnet

Reed v. Marshall, — F.4th —-, 2025 WL 1822673, No. 24-20198 (5th Cir. Jul. 2, 2025) Jade, an R&B, hip hop, and soul vocal group, rose to prominence in the 1990s. Jade disbanded in 1995, when the members began pursuing … Continue reading →

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claim of failure to warn of kratom’s addiction potential not preempted; a “disease claim” involves helping, not causing, disease

Posted on July 3, 2025 by rtushnet

J.J. v. Ashlynn Marketing Gp., 2025 WL 1811854, No. 24-cv-00311-GPC-MSB (S.D. Cal. Jul. 1, 2025) Plaintiffs sued on behalf of putative nationwide, California, and NY classes, alleging that Ashlynn failed to warn consumers of the potentially addictive nature of its … Continue reading →

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plaintiffs don’t have to use full FDA methods for testing nutrients to avoid FDA preemption

Posted on July 2, 2025 by rtushnet

Scheibe v. ProSupps USA, LLC, — F.4th —-, 2025 WL 1730272, No. 23-3300 (9th Cir. Jun. 24, 2025) The FDA specifies testing methods for determining the amount of carbohydrates and calories in a food, as well as a sampling process … Continue reading →

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