Category Archives: Competition Law

June 11, 2015

Competition Bureau Highlights Priorities, Compliance Guidelines in New Advertising Publication

The Canadian Competition Bureau has been increasing its advocacy, outreach and compliance efforts since the (relatively) new Commissioner of Competition (John Pecman) took office. As part of this effort, it appears to be focusing on introducing more new media (and also an increasing range) of … Read the rest of this entry »

June 9, 2015

Competition Bureau Makes Major Changes to Canadian Competition Law Compliance Programs

On June 3, 2015, the Canadian Competition Bureau (Bureau) finalized its new core competition law compliance materials. They are essential reading for corporate compliance officers, senior management and in-house counsel. In announcing its new Corporate Compliance Programs Bulletin, the Commissioner of Competition said: “This bulletin … Read the rest of this entry »

June 7, 2015

Canadian Contest Law: Key Questions to Ask if Running a Contest in Canada

CANADIAN CONTEST RULES/PRECEDENTS Do you need contest rules/precedents for a Canadian contest? We offer many types of Canadian contest/sweepstakes law precedents and forms (i.e., Canadian contest/sweepstakes law precedents to run common types of contests in Canada).  These include precedents for random draw contests (i.e., where … Read the rest of this entry »

November 25, 2014

Water Heater Supplier Scalded With $7 Million Advertising Law Settlement, Tough Compliance Terms (and Monitor)

Misleading advertising is squarely part of Canadian competition law. Violation of the Competition Act’s civil or criminal misleading advertising provisions can also lead to significant liability for companies or individuals. As a recent reminder of this, the Competition Bureau has announced that water heater supplier … Read the rest of this entry »

November 13, 2014

Hockey Helmet Case a Reminder of Canada’s Performance Claim Rules (and a Few Key Points)

Performance claims remain a popular advertising strategy for many brands. These can include statements about a product’s speed, reliability or other performance. Performance claims in Canada, however, are subject to both the “general misleading advertising” sections of the Competition Act (Act) and a stand-alone performance … Read the rest of this entry »

November 11, 2014

Numerous Warning Letters Serve as a Reminder that the FTC is Always Watching

November 11, 2014 Guest post by Shannon Harell (Information Law Group) The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has been very active in its enforcement efforts in the past couple of months. In addition to other actions which we have blogged about, the FTC recently sent dozens … Read the rest of this entry »

September 23, 2014

General Impressions Matter: US FTC, Australian ACCC Take Issue Over Headline Claims (and Some Compliance Tips)

In the advertising law world, general impressions matter – a lot. In Canada, the federal Competition Act even includes specific sections that provide that the general impression of a claim (i.e., not merely the literal meaning of an advertising claim or what is included in … Read the rest of this entry »

September 18, 2014

Canadian Competition Bureau Issues Updated Competition Compliance Guidelines

Canada’s Competition Bureau (the “Bureau”) has been working over the past year or two to update its competition law compliance guidelines and policies. Competition law compliance has also figured prominently in recent remarks by Canada’s new Commissioner of Competition, John Pecman (see for example: here). As … Read the rest of this entry »