Summary of Action

In August 2019, TINA.org filed a petition requesting that the Federal Trade Commission use its rulemaking authority to expand its enforcement abilities and better defend the Made in USA marketing designation. In the past few years, TINA.org has exposed a number of companies deceptively marketing products as Made in the USA, including Williams-Sonoma, Mercedes-Benz, Gillette, Walmart, and Target, among others, all of which highlight the need for the FTC to have greater enforcement authority in order to effectively police this common marketing strategy.

TINA.org’s petition for rulemaking urges the FTC to enact a regulation that would give the agency the option to seek a monetary penalty against first-time offenders who blatantly ignore the law. Doing so would also promote a deterrent effect by changing the cost-benefit analysis of engaging in false Made in the USA marketing for many deceptive marketers, thereby increasing the agency’s impact on the marketplace and protecting not only consumers, but those businesses who play by the rules to support American manufacturing.

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