California Demands Money from Gatorade to Protect Water from Slander
Silly mobile game pisses off nannies, costs company $300,000.
Advertising
Too Many Calories in Your Candy? That's a Lawsuit!
Legal threats over food marketing appear to be on the rise. But who really benefits?
They Won't Stop at Backpage
The "Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act" would not stop sexual exploitation. But it could blow up the legal framework that supports the internet as we know it.
California Wants to Stop Pot Dispensaries from Branding Merchandise
The nanny state comes after swag.
Momentum Building to Cast Off USDA Checkoff Marketing Programs
Two lawsuits and action in Congress indicate wasteful, unconstitutional mandates may be on their way out.
The Disgruntled D.C. Resident in That Anti-Airbnb Ad Isn't Who She Says She Is
"I'm tired of feeling like an outsider in my own neighborhood," she says. Maybe that's because she's an actress from New York.
First Amendment Lawyers Ask New Calif. Attorney General to Drop 'Abusive' Crusade Against Backpage and User-Info Dragnet
A subpoena calls for copies of all Backpage ads posted over several years, all billing records, and the identities of all of the website's users.
Trump Ads Were More Policy-Focused, Less Negative Than Clinton's 2016 Election Ads, Find Wesleyan Researchers
"Clinton's message was devoid of policy discussions in a way not seen in the previous four presidential contests."
10 Ridiculous Recent Food-Marketing Lawsuits
And why these class-action endeavors are on the rise. (Hint: it's not consumer protection.)
Super Bowl Revival of Bud Light Pitchdog Spuds MacKenzie Prompts Death Threat
Anti-alcohol activists are haunted by the ghost of the original party animal.
Director of Anti-Sex Trafficking Doc I Am Jane Doe Doesn't Understand the Laws She's Trying to Reform
Watch Elizabeth Nolan Brown discuss the film with director Mary Mazzio, who aims to overhaul Backpage and federal law in the name of sex-trafficked teens.
Backpage Backed Into Corner Over Adult Ads. Is Government's Goal a Goodbye to Sex Trafficking, or Free Speech?
As Congress puts Backpage on trial, Section 230 is the big fish in this barrel of red herrings.
Backpage Shutters 'Adult' Ads Section Following Years of Government Bullying
"It's a sad day for America's children victimized by prostitution," said victims services advocate Lois Lee.
Backpage Leaders Beat Pimping Charges as Court Affirms Importance of Immunity for Web Publishers of Third-Party Speech
"Congress has spoken on this matter and it is for Congress, not this Court, to revisit."
Judge Says Backpage Protected by First Amendment, Rejects Pimping Charges for CEO… Then Backtracks a Few Hours Later
"Congress has spoken on this matter and it is for Congress, not this court, to revisit." Except for maybe later this afternoon...
Porn Site Offers Tits for Votes in Clever Marketing Gimmick—Thanks, First Amendment!
CamSoda is offering voters free site credits if they snap a selfie at the polls and post it to social media.
'This Is Your Brain on Drugs' Guy Supports Marijuana Legalization
John Roselius, who famously warned that drugs would fry your brain like an egg, says he has changed his mind about pot.
Former Backpage.com Heads Say Pimping Charges Motivated by Politics, Not Facts
"Make no mistake; Kamala Harris has won all that she was looking to win when she had us arrested."
Here's How Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer Supposedly Profited From Child Sex Trafficking
Behold, 12 things the state of California considers sex trafficking that are totally not
SCOTUS Won't Hear Illinois Sheriff's Appeal of Order to Stop Threatening Credit Card Companies for Working With Backpage
Visa and Mastercard had ceased serving the site under threat of sanction from the Illinois sheriff.
The Haunted House That Guns Built
Did a marketing campaign trick Americans into loving firearms?
Philly Can't Turn Entire Airport Into Emotional Safe Space, Say Judges In NAACP-Ad Case
The NAACP just won a years-long First-Amendment fight with the city of Philadelphia.
Friday A/V Club: A Vintage Anti-Hippie Film Strip
A fever-dream film strip from 1967 calls the counterculture a communist/capitalist plot.
Happy 4th: These Vintage Ads for Capitalism Will Make You Proud to Be an American
Enjoy some pro-market propaganda from the 1950s
Is the ACLU's Lawsuit Against Bad Anti-Hacking Law Ingenious or Terrifying?
Ending federal prosecution over violations of vague 'terms of service' rules may come at a cost.
Yes, Blue Moon Is Brewed by the Second-Biggest Beer Company In America. It Can Still Be a 'Craft Beer'
A federal court finds Belgian-style witbier Blue Moon is not deceptively advertised as a craft beer.
London Protects Its Citizens From Onslaught of Beautiful People
Saving young folks from hurt feelings warrants wide-scale censorship efforts in London.
As the 'Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act' Turns One, Lawmakers Demand DOJ Get Tougher on Ad Platforms and Sex Buyers
Federal legislators are calling on Justice Department to be more proactive about using the 2015 sex-trafficking law.
Why Vape? E-Cig Companies Are Not Allowed to Say.
The FDA is suppressing potentially lifesaving information about the health advantages of e-cigarettes.
From '50s Housewives to Girls: How Political Campaign Ads Court Women Then & Now
"I Love the Gov" versus "My First Time"
'Women's Issues' Dominate In 2016 Presidential-Campaign Ads
Equal pay, abortion, and other issues concerning sex and gender are all over TV this election.
Tonight! Anthony Fisher on Fox Business' Kennedy
Along with the party panel, I help pick the right comics to send to fight ISIS.
Run a Pot Ad, Go to Jail?
A long overlooked provision of the Controlled Substances Act makes it a felony to "place" a marijuana ad.
Don't Blame Food Companies for What You Feed Your Kids
Parents feed babies candy, soda, and chips. What does this have to do with the industry?
The Lurking Law That Turns Marijuana Ads Into Felonies
Can newspaper publishers go to prison for accepting ads from pot merchants? Maybe.
Starbucks Gets Sappy About the 2016 Election in Full-Page Newspaper Ads
Without naming any names, Starbucks celebrates "those who work to include, rather than discriminate."
Another Win for Internet Freedom, First Amendment in First Circuit's Backpage Ruling
"Congress did not sound an uncertain trumpet when it...chose to enact broad protections to internet publishers," held the appeals court.
Friday A/V Club: This Is What It Looks Like When a Political Party Splits
Republicans for Lyndon Johnson, Democrats for Richard Nixon, and the prospect of a Republicans-for-Clinton campaign
Federal Judge Orders Withdrawal of Fraudulent Chobani Yogurt Ads
The company implied that sucralose and potassium sorbate made competing products unsafe for human consumption.
5 Ridiculous Products Advertised at the Adult Entertainment Expo
Sum poosie energy drink, anyone?
14 Arrested, 12 Migrant Women in Custody, and 'Additional Moneys and Properties Will Be Seized' Following Shutdown of Seattle Sex-Work Forum 'The Review Board'
Here's what we know about the takedown of The Review Board and 12 allegedly associated brothels.
The 'Pink Tax' Is a Myth
Is the "pink tax" a corporate conspiracy, patriarchy in action, or just market preferences at work?
Marijuana Ads Are 'Nonmailable,' but That Doesn't Mean You Can't Mail Them
The U.S. Postal Service simultaneously clarifies and muddies its policy on cannabis promotion.
Backpage.com Sues Federal Government Over SAVE Act
Following a First Amendment win against Illinois Sheriff Tom Dart, Backpage.com has filed a civil action against the U.S. Attorney General.
Post Office Says Marijuana Ads Make Periodicals 'Nonmailable'
The legal justifications for the ban seem dubious.
