Category Archives: Publications

April 27, 2016

Filing Competition Bureau, CASL and Other Canadian Regulatory Law Complaints

I frequently receive inquires and calls relating to filing a competition, advertising, consumer protection or other regulatory complaint. Companies, individuals or other types of organizations may want to file a complaint relating to a competitor, manufacturer or supplier, retailer or other market participant based on … Read the rest of this entry »

January 5, 2016

Canadian Competition Law Compliance for Associations: CSAE 2016 Winter Summit

I am pleased to be a guest speaker at the CSAE (Canadian Society of Association Executives) Trillium Chapter’s 2016 Winter Summit in Burlington on February 4th. I will be co-presenting an interactive seminar on the Competition Bureau’s new approach to competition compliance for associations together … Read the rest of this entry »

January 2, 2016

Record $7.3 Million Settlement in Mobile Cramming Case: Cautionary Tale for Partnering with Affiliates?

On December 30, 2015, Telus agreed to a $7.3 million settlement with the Competition Bureau (“Bureau”) as part of the Bureau’s ongoing case against major Canadian telecoms for allegedly misleading advertisements for premium text messages in pop-up ads, apps and in social media. See: Telus … Read the rest of this entry »

June 13, 2015

Guest Post: U.S. FTC Updates FAQs on Endorsements and Testimonials in Social Media

Major enforcement agencies, notably in the United States (U.S. FTC) and Canada (Competition Bureau have been increasingly focusing on misleading online testimonials and disclaimers. In this respect, earlier this week Canada’s Competition Bureau launched a new advertising law publication with the first issue focusing on … Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

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 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 »