Environmental Marketing

This issue of SalesWatch will examine the history and status of environmental marketing claims, and the enforcement activities of the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") in this arena [...]

Get Your Hands Off My Downline!!!

If God had been running an MLM rather than delivering the Jews from Egypt, the first of the Ten Commandments given to Moses would have been "thou shalt not steal thy neighbors downline." [...]

Training Camp

Several very visible companies have successfully incorporated training bonus programs into their plans. They are typically presented as a second compensation structure dedicated to training. As a result [...]

Income and Earnings Representations

Let's face it - distributors are out there waiving checks and 1099s, telling prospects what they and others have made, and presenting hypothetical (i.e., astronomical) examples of the phenomenal incomes that can be earned with your company [...]

Double Trouble

Binary compensation plans have become the darling of startup multilevel marketing companies. From the distributors’ standpoint, binaries have a lot of sizzle. They are relatively simple to understand and offer fast-paced growth opportunities [...]

Door-to-Door Sales

This article will address the legal issues surrounding "door-to-door" sales in the United States. Lest you think that the activities of your distributors do not involve "going door-to-door," you should be aware that the federal definition (as well as most state definitions) of a "door-to-door" sale encompasses [...]

Securities Law and MLM - What's the Deal

No one will claim that the application of securities law in the multilevel marketing field is anything new. Securities laws have been regularly applied to the MLM industry at both the state and federal levels since the early 1970s, and many MLM programs have been found to cross the line into the realm of unregistered securities since that time [...]

FDA Promulgates New Standard for Dietary Supplement Health Claims

Bigsmart Not So Smart

Customer Programs

The Preminence of Value

Intellectual Property - What is it?

To the law, property is commonly considered a “bundle of rights.” This “bundle” is [...]

Dietary Supplement Marketing - Rethinking The use of 3rd Party Material - The Sequel

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Dietary Supplement Marketing - Rethinking The use of 3rd Party Material

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The FTC's Proposed Business Opportunity Rule

There has been a lot of chatter in direct sales circles about the FTC's new proposed business opportunity rule.

Seeing The Forest For The Trees

"Is my plan legal?" Not a week goes by that I'm not asked this question.