The FTC has issued a Notice that it has determined that certain acts or practices in the use of endorsements and testimonials are deceptive or unfair and violate the FTC Act.
- Notice of Penalty Offenses Concerning Deceptive or Unfair Conduct around Endorsements and Testimonials (2021)
- Sample cover letter sent to recipients of this Notice
- Related Press Release: FTC Puts Hundreds of Businesses on Notice about Fake Reviews and Other Misleading Endorsements
The FTC administrative decisions establishing penalty offenses concerning endorsements:
- Cliffdale Assocs., Inc., 103 F.T.C. 110 (1984)
- Macmillan, Inc., et al., 96 FTC 208 (1980)
- Porter & Dietsch, Inc., 90 F.T.C. 770 (1977), aff’d, 605 F.2d 294 (7th Cir. 1979)
- Nat’l Dynamics Corp., 82 F.T.C. 488 (1973), modified at 85 F.T.C. 1052 (1975)
- Mytinger & Casselberry, Inc., 57 F.T.C. 717 (1960)
- Ar-Ex Cosms., Inc., 48 F.T.C. 800 (1952)
- R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 46 F.T.C. 706 (1950)
- A. P. W. Paper Co., Inc., 38 F.T.C. 1 (1944)
- Wilbert W. Haase Co., Inc., 33 F.T.C. 662 (1941)
About Notices of Penalty Offenses
A Notice of Penalty Offenses is a document listing certain types of conduct that the FTC has determined, in one or more litigated administrative cases, to be unfair or deceptive in violation of the FTC Act.
- Learn more about Notices of Penalty Offenses