Category Archives: Advertising Law

March 10, 2012

Litigation Update: Defamation: BC Court of Appeal decides Lawson v. Baines

On Friday March 9, 2012 the British Columbia Court of Appeal, in an unanimous judgment by Justices Hinkson, Finch and Hall, decided an interesting defamation case involving the publication of a newspaper column in the Vancouver Sun entitled “Ambitious claims to a trillion-dollar jackpot” written … Read the rest of this entry »

March 9, 2012

$9 Million Deceptive Marketing Business Directory Case – A Few Observations on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice Decision

A few days ago, we posted a short note on the Competition Bureau’s announcement that five companies and three individuals were found by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to have violated the Competition Act in relation to a deceptive marketing operation (see: Advertising Update: … Read the rest of this entry »

March 7, 2012

Fraud Update: Consumer Protection BC Publishes Anti-Fraud Backgrounder

March is Fraud Prevention Month.  On March 5, 2012, Consumer Protection BC published an anti-fraud backgrounder on their blog including information about typical fraudsters, steps for consumers to take where they think they have been a target of fraud and fraud-related case studies from past … Read the rest of this entry »

March 7, 2012

Competition Bureau Announces New Deputy Commissioner, Civil Matters Branch

On March 6, 2012, the Competition Bureau announced that Alison Tait has been appointed the new Deputy Commissioner, Civil Matters Branch In making the announcement, the Bureau said: “Ms. Tait has extensive experience in industrial policy, program development, and international business development, both in Canada and … Read the rest of this entry »

March 6, 2012

Commissioner of Competition Interview – Globe and Mail: “Competition Commissioner Lays Down the Rules”

The Globe and Mail posted a short interview with the Commissioner of Competition earlier today by Steve Ladurantaye. Among the topics discussed by the Commissioner included misleading advertising, the perception that the Competition Bureau only pursues high profile deterrent setting cases, the Bureau’s approach to … Read the rest of this entry »

March 5, 2012

Fraud Update: Competition Bureau Tips For Consumers Against Fraud

March is Fraud Prevention Month.  On March 5, 2012, the Competition Bureau issued the following tips for consumers to protect themselves against fraud: Be vigilant when evaluating ads, whether for a job, a product or service offered online, over the phone or in print. Before … Read the rest of this entry »

March 5, 2012

Defamation Update: Tjelta v. Wang – A Cautionary Tale and Highlights the Importance of Ensuring Accurate E-mail and Online Communications

On March 1, 2012, the BC Supreme Court released its decision in Tjelta v. Wang (2012 BCSC 299) (see: Tjelta v. Wang 2012 BCSC 299), in which the plaintiff was awarded damages of $20,000 for defamatory statements made in e-mails and other communications. This recent … Read the rest of this entry »

March 3, 2012

Advertising & Fraud Update: U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Top 10 Consumer Complaints – Includes Contests, Loan Products & Identity Theft

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has published a very interesting list of top 10 consumer complaints: 1. Identity theft: Fighting back against identify theft 2. Debt collection complaints: Dealing with debt 3. Prizes, sweepstakes & lotteries: Sweepstakes and lotteries scams 4. Shop-at-home and catalog … Read the rest of this entry »