Two years ago, Neiman Marcus and two other retailers settled a Federal Trade Commission complaint that they had sold “faux fur” products on their websites that contained actual animal fur. As part of that agreement, the upscale department store was permanently enjoined from “falsely or deceptively advertising any fur product by misrepresenting or failing to disclose that the fur in any fur product is faux or fake.” However, a new petition filed with the FTC alleges the Neiman Marcus has continued to sell products that appear to violate this agreement. [More]
ain’t nothing like the real thing
Luxury Watch Makers Out To Stop Lookalike Faces For Smart Watches
By 11.25.14
Just like some street vendors make a living selling lookalike Cartier and Omega watches for cheap, some folks are selling — or even giving away — knock-off digital watch faces for Android-powered smartphones. And the watch companies are going after these people with the same zeal as they chase the “Cantier” and “Omego” sellers from sidewalks. [More]
FDA Gives OK To New Coca-Cola-Backed Sweetener That Claims To Taste More Like Sugar
By 12.30.13
Because we all want sweet things but don’t want to accept that eating too many sweet things can make us fat, the world’s largest producer of stevia says it has gotten the go-ahead from the Food and Drug Administration to start using a new version of the sweetener that it developed with the folks at Coca-Cola. [More]
Judge Gives Louis Vuitton Lesson In Film Comedy 101 In Dismissing ‘Hangover 2’ Lawsuit
By 6.19.12
The folks at monogram-loving handbag company Louis Vuitton are not famous for their sense of humor, especially when it comes to their oft-copied designs. And they certainly didn’t see what was so funny about a scene in Hangover 2 featuring a character carrying knock-off Louis Vuitton bags through the airport. Luckily, there’s a judge out there who understands comedy — and is willing to explain it, footnotes and all. [More]
Man Sentenced To Two Years Of Probation For Selling Fake Vermont Maple Syrup
By 6.13.12
As we’ve written before, the people of Vermont take their maple syrup very seriously. Just ask the Rhode Island man who has been sentenced to two years of probation for selling plain old cane sugar syrup as authentic stuff from the Green Mountain State. [More]
Massachusetts Creates Fake Scam Websites To Warn People Of Real Scam Websites
By 5.16.12
Make a ton of money working from home! Lose weight by taking some fruit extract pills! Clear your debt today, guaranteed! Most of us know to give a wide berth to websites making promises like these. But the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation has decided the best way to educate the consumers is for the state to create its own slate of bogus sites that look eerily like real scam sites. [More]
Coca-Cola Says Revealed Recipe Is Not The Real Deal
By 2.16.11
The internet has been abuzz this week with reports that Coca-Cola’s secret recipe had been inadvertently leaked in a 1979 newspaper story. But the beverage behemoth is attempting to kill that buzz by saying that the revealed recipe isn’t authentic. [More]
