Jeffrey D. Knowles

For-profit marketers and charitable organizations increasingly work together, and these relationships have recently attracted the attention of a number of state attorneys general. Many times, charities will hire direct marketers, call centers and professional fundraisers who use their experience to...more >>

On Oct. 19, the Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, Consumer Watchdog and the Praxis Project, alleged that PepsiCo and Frito-Lay's Doritos brand violated Section Five of the FTC Act, which prohibits false or deceptive advertising, during a number of campaigns designed to reverse...more >>

The recent settlement of three California consumer class actions sheds light on several issues that sponsors and others involved in premium text message-based contests should consider when planning such promotions. In these contests, consumers pay a small fee each time they send an entry via text...more >>

A legal dust-up that began more than two years ago between two leading U.S. hot dog purveyors is starting to sizzle. In lawsuits filed in a federal district court in Illinois, Sara Lee Corp. and Kraft Foods both allege that the other made false claims in advertising its hot dog products. The...more >>

The war against counterfeiting is a global one, and nothing makes the point more clearly than the recent exposure of fake Apple computer stores in China. The story was uncovered by an American blogger living in Kunming, China who a few weeks ago was surprised to find a brand new Apple store in her...more >>

On April 19, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) moved to stop operators of websites from making allegedly deceptive claims about acai berry weight-loss products. The enforcement actions announced by the FTC during a press conference in Chicago target affiliate marketers who made allegedly deceptive...more >>

The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) move last month to freeze the assets of a marketer alleged to have blasted consumers with millions of illegal spam text messages highlights the need to be mindful of the law and regulations that govern mobile marketing.

Almost all marketers struggle with the implications of online rating websites, such as Yelp.com. The inability to mitigate baseless, malicious reviews is just one of the obstacles such sites present. On March 11, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) SaferProducts.gov database goes...more >>

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that advertisers must have a “reasonable basis” for objective advertising claims. But two new consent orders reinforce something we’ve known for a long time: that the Monday-morning quarterbacks at the FTC really expect you to have more than just a...more >>

Beware E-mail Marketing Strategies That Deliver Trouble