On April 28, 2020, the FTC announced a preliminary order in a civil enforcement action against a supplement manufacturer that allegedly made false and unsubstantiated claims regarding COVID-19 and cancer. 

On April 2, 2020 the National Advertising Division (NAD) launched its Fast-Track SWIFT (Single Well-defined Issue Fast Track) resolution process, promising to resolve single-issue cases in 20 business days. 

The FTC has announced a settlement with furniture and houseware seller Williams-Sonoma, requiring it to cease making unsubstantiated "Made in USA" claims about its products and pay $1 million to the FTC. 

Consumers' response to COVID-19 has led to increased demand for personal protective equipment and other much-needed supplies to aid consumers and healthcare professionals in the fight against the disease. 

The FTC recently sent another round of warning letters to ten sellers related to advertising claims that their products treat or prevent COVID-19. 

Two brothers in Tennessee made national news in early March after cleaning out local stores of products in high demand because of COVID-19 in order to sell them for exorbitant prices on online marketplaces.  

On March 26th Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman, Joe Simons, issued a statement regarding the FTC's continuing efforts to protect consumers during the coronavirus pandemic. 

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced several steps to maintain the safe supply of food while adjusting the regulatory burden on food manufacturers. 

The FDA and FTC recently issued joint warning letters to seven sellers of products that claimed to treat or prevent "Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019," known as COVID-19. 

Leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives have requested that the FTC take action against price gouging related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and have indicated that they would assist with appropriate legislation.

Almost every state has issued emergency declarations which, in many states, trigger prohibitions against price gouging.

Operators of the LendEDU website entered into a settlement agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in response to allegations that LendEDU misled consumers by claiming that its website provided objective, unbiased rankings of financial products, when in fact they offered better ratings to companies that paid for the endorsement. 

Yesterday, the FDA belatedly released a report in its progress towards CBD enforcement, as required by Congress.

Although the report repeats the FDA's concerns regarding CBD safety, and fails to offer a useful timeline for a reasonable regulatory pathway for the CBD market, it also affirms a desire for a nuanced "risk-based" approach to CBD enforcement.

Class action plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in February against Gojo Industries, Inc., the maker of Purell hand sanitizers, alleging that Gojo's marketing and advertising claims on its website and social media accounts give consumers the impression that Purell products "are effective at preventing colds, flu, absenteeism and promoting bodily health and increased academic achievement." 

Over the past few years, we have seen increasing legislative and regulatory activity around the globe on the issue of digital accessibility. 

For the second year in a row, Washington State is considering the "Washington Privacy Act," legislation that would regulate the collection and use of consumer data and have Washington join a chorus of states looking to legislate privacy.