A little ad copy never hurt anybody, right? Well, maybe not, but Tasers may have. So the company can no longer call its product “non-lethal”. Taser will change its product descriptions, as part of an effort to meet US deceptive marketing laws.

Here, in Canada, companies are subject to the Competition Act, specifically part seven, known as Deceptive Marketing Practices. Note that this law also applies to claims made on the Internet. That means your website — including product specifications — needs to be accurate. Otherwise, you could be setting yourself up for a lawsuit. So, before you click the publish button, make sure your messages are on the up-and-up.

(c) 2005 by Andrea Coutu. Vancouver Marketing Consultant. All rights reserved.