Markets Wired

A one-day “back to basics” workshop on complying with truth-in-advertising laws will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday, May 13, 2008, by the Federal Trade Commission and the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. Green Lights & Red Flags: Rules of the Road for Advertisers and Businesses features a roster of national experts discussing the latest developments in advertising law for business owners, marketing executives, and attorneys. The workshop will feature keynote comments by Tennessee Attorney General Robert E.
Cooper, Jr.

Panel topics include:

• Advertising Law: Understanding the Rules of the Road – The FTC’s approach to ad claims, disclosures, endorsements, and substantiation;
• Avoiding a Promotion Commotion – Complying with new standards for rebates, commercial e-mail, gift cards, and other promotional practices;
• The Secure Entrepreneur: Data Security & Consumer Privacy – Best practices to avoid, assess, and address a data security breach;
• An Ounce of Prevention: Improving lines of communication between attorneys and business clients so you can spot “red flag” issues before they raise law enforcement concerns;
• If the Government Comes to Call – An inside look at state and federal consumer protection investigations; and
• When Your Competitor Crosses the Line – Self-regulation or litigation? Weighing the options when a competitor’s ads are deceptive.

Green Lights & Red Flags is presented in partnership with the Tennessee Bar Association, the Better Business Bureau of Middle Tennessee, and the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators.

Green Lights & Red Flags runs from 8:45 to 3:30 at the Tennessee Bar Association, 221 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 400, in Nashville. The admission fee of $100, payable to the Tennessee Bar Association, includes lunch and a CD of all workshop materials. Green Lights & Red Flags has been approved for 3.5 hours of general Tennessee CLE credit and one hour of professionalism credit. To register, visit www.tennbaru.com or www.ftc.gov/greenlights or call 800-899-6993.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.