Deceptive advertising
Under both federal and state law, an ad is unlawful if it tends to mislead or deceive, even if it doesn't actually fool anyone.
Your intentions don't matter either. If your ad is deceptive, you'll face legal problems even if you have the best intentions in the world. What counts is the overall impression created by the ad -- not the technical truthfulness of the individual parts.
Over the years, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against many businesses accused of engaging in false and deceptive advertising. If FTC investigators are convinced that an ad violates the law, they usually try to bring the violator into voluntary compliance. If that doesn't work, the FTC can issue a cease-and-desist order and bring a civil lawsuit on behalf of people who have been harmed, seek a court order (injunction) to stop a questionable ad while an investigation is in progress and require an advertiser to run corrective ads admitting that an earlier ad was deceptive.
Consumers often have the right to sue advertisers under state consumer protection laws. For example, someone who buys a product in reliance on a deceptive ad might sue in small claims court for a refund or join others (sometimes tens of thousands of others) to sue for a huge sum in another court.
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