Not for the first time, I wish to talk about dishonest reviews. It's not sour grapes on my part. It's relevant.
If one solicits five-star reviews, and perhaps offers a meaningful incentive to the potential author of the review (with the explicit condition that the review must be for four or five stars in order to qualify for a rent rebate, a pearl necklace, a valuable --or not-- gift) one might be in legal jeopardy.
Authors do it. Student housing does it.
They may think that no one will notice or care, but the FTC is cracking down. That's why I think it is worth summarizing --again-- what's new on the legal blogs on the matter.
It is about "repurposing reviews".
How many have taken the most favorable line or two from a prestigious review (even if the rest of the review might have been lukewarm about the work) and used it to promote ones book? Aparently, doing that could be deceptive.
Jeff Greenbaum, reliable authority and long time legal blogger for the Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance, writes this on so-called fake reviews:
and also this:
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=f5c7c726-b136-487b-ac42-bd9a0fc79d8b
The government's frowning interest is not confined to prose reviews. Even "likes" could potentially get one into trouble.
Rebecca B. Lederhouse of the law firm Baker McKenzie discusses endorsement advertising guides, influencers and "fake" reviews. While the general principles have not changed, much has now been clarified with specific examples. Grey areas are not so grey.
"The general considerations have not changed, namely, that endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser and that advertisers are subject to liability for misleading or unsubstantiated statements made through endorsements or for failing to disclose unexpected material connections between themselves and their endorsers."
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