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On February 11, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it had accepted a $9.5 million settlement in a case brought against a sweepstakes operator for violating a previous FTC order. The settlement also permanently prohibits the defendant, Crystal Ewing, from direct mail marketing. READ MORE
“How did we have sweepstakes before Facebook?” That question, which I heard during a call last week, summarizes the tremendous impact that social media has had on the use of sweepstakes and contests. READ MORE
Nearly every year, complaints about sweepstakes crop up among the top 10 complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission. Recently I received a call from a number which I did not recognize. The woman on the line told me her name was Louise and she asked me if I could help her. READ MORE
Internet and mobile advertising is subject to the same rules as anything else, the Federal Trade Commission recently assured us in a detailed 53-page booklet. To be fair, online advertising is subject to ordinary advertising rules. But there are always twists to how ordinary rules are applied online. READ MORE
The Federal Trade Commission released its long-awaited amendments to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rules on Dec. 19, 2012. Anyone who creates or reviews sweepstakes and contests involving children should be aware of these changes. READ MORE
If you missed our October 2012 webinar on sweepstakes law, the entire presentation is now available to live stream. This one-hour session, "Sweepstakes, The Essentials: What You Need to Know,” provides a great overview of the legal issues surrounding sweepstakes, contests, and other type of promotions. READ MORE
For the most part almost anything can serve as a prize. But several categories of items may be illegal or so closely regulated that the related complications of offering them may prevent their use as prizes. READ MORE
Each year the FTC issues a report that categorizes the thousands of complaints it received from consumers in the previous year. The “promotions for free prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries” category is No. 3 on this year’s list, beating out 27 other types of complaints. In fact, the sweepstakes category been ranked in the Top 10 since the list was created in 1999. READ MORE
Because of the many technological changes and the increase in use of the Internet by young children since 2000, the FTC decided last year to review the Rule to see if it needed to be amended. READ MORE
COPPA went into effect in April 2000. The law is designed to give parents control over the information that is collected online from their children. READ MORE
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