Tag Archives: false advertising

alleged use of competitor’s corporate “persona” didn’t cause actionable confusion

Posted on July 24, 2025 by rtushnet

SME Steel Contractors, Inc. v. Seismic Bracing Co., LLC, No. 2023-2426, 2025 WL 2057365 (Fed. Cir. Jul. 23, 2025) Discussion of previous district court opinion here. Because a patent is involved, the appeal on all issues goes to the Federal … Continue reading →

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XL BBL and Petite BBL are generic for what you think they’re generic for

Posted on July 22, 2025 by rtushnet

Andre P. Marshall, M.D. Inc. v. Squlpt Management, LLC, 2025 WL 2025000, No. 2:24-cv-01784-SB-AS (C.D. Cal. Jul. 14, 2025) The interesting false advertising component of this case doesn’t get resolved on summary judgment, but we do get a finding that … Continue reading →

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AI voice cloning opinion narrows claims to ROP, rejecting TM and (most) copyright theories

Posted on July 21, 2025 by rtushnet

Lehrman v. Lovo, Inc., — F.Supp.3d —-, 2025 WL 1902547, 24-CV-3770 (JPO) (S.D.N.Y. Jul. 10, 2025) Plaintiffs alleged that Lovo misled them about its use of their voices, using AI to synthesize and sell unauthorized “clones” of their voices. They … Continue reading →

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even if it’s not a security, a stablecoin can trigger false advertising claims

Posted on July 17, 2025 by rtushnet

Donovan v. GMO-Z.com Trust Company, Inc., — F.Supp.3d —-, 2025 WL 522503, No. 23 Civ. 8431 (AT) (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 17, 2025) Plaintiffs sued GMO Trust, alleging that it violated federal securities laws and NY state consumer protection laws in connection … Continue reading →

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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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