Tag Archives: competition bureau

January 12, 2020

Influencer Advertising: Competition Act Compliance Now a Material Concern For Brands and Agencies

Over the past several years, competition enforcement agencies have been increasing their scrutiny of false and misleading influencer marketing.  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initially led the charge in terms of guidance and enforcement, which included its Endorsement Guides, Endorsement Guides FAQs and warning … Read the rest of this entry »

January 1, 2020

Influencer Advertising: Competition Bureau Increases Pressure on Brands and Agencies to Comply with the Competition Act

Practical Law Canada has published a New Legal Update, which discusses the Competition Bureau’s new guidelines for influencer advertising. While the Bureau’s new guidelines largely reiterate previous guidance provided by the Bureau, its announcement also suggests increasing scrutiny on not only influencers that fail to … Read the rest of this entry »

September 10, 2019

Should Advertising Regulators Enforce Wokeness?: Canadian Lawyer

In my new Canadian Lawyer column, I discuss two recent U.K. ASA advertising decisions with potential implications for Canada relating to “wokeness” and advertising.  Below is an excerpt with a link to my column. ***************** In an interesting development, two ads were recently banned under new … Read the rest of this entry »

June 27, 2019

Ticketmaster Agrees to Pay $4 Million Penalty to Settle Drip Pricing Case (Upfront Pricing Case)

On June 27, 2019, the Competition Bureau (Bureau) announced that Ticketmaster L.L.C., TNow Entertainment Group, Inc. and Ticketmaster Canada LP have agreed to pay a $4 million penalty and $500,000 of the Bureau’s costs relating to allegedly misleading online ticket sale pricing claims. See Ticketmaster to … Read the rest of this entry »

June 11, 2019

New Canadian Commissioner of Competition Increases Focus on Digital Economy

Practical Law Canada has published a New Legal Update, which discusses recent Canadian Competition Bureau (Bureau) and policy changes relating to competition and the digital economy in Canada. This new Update includes key points from recent Commissioner of Competition speeches, media interviews and conferences hosted by … Read the rest of this entry »

May 27, 2018

Testimonials and Endorsements: Key Canadian Legal Rules and Compliance Tips

Testimonials and endorsements (i.e., where a brand uses an expert, celebrity or other person to endorse their product) are both increasingly popular and increasingly being scrutinized by regulators, including the Canadian Competition Bureau (Bureau) and U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). While the Competition Act, which … Read the rest of this entry »

July 5, 2017

Misleading Concert Prices Could Be Your Ticket to a Fine: Competition Bureau

On July 4, 2017, the Competition Bureau (Bureau) issued a statement warning sporting and entertainment vendors to ensure that their upfront pricing was accurate. In particular, the Bureau cautioned ticket sellers that engaging in “drip pricing” (i.e., only disclosing a portion of the price upfront … Read the rest of this entry »

April 25, 2017

$1.25 Million Settlement in Car Rental Drip Pricing Case

Yesterday the Competition Bureau announced that it had negotiated a $1.25 million settlement with two major Canadian car rental companies (Hertz Canada Limited and Dollar Thrifty) in relation to alleged “drip pricing” advertising practices. In particular, the Bureau had taken the position that the two … Read the rest of this entry »