FTC Updates

There have been some excellent posts recently about the FTC's new guidelines on endorsements. You can find more information at DearAuthor and Huffington Post.

One thing that was reassuring is that the FTC cannot actually levy fines. According to Jane at DearAuthor, it works like this:

The FTC has no ability to levy fines. A charge must be made and taken to an administrative law judge and a cease and desist is requested and provided if the FTC fulfills its burden. If the C&D is ignored, then a civil penalty can be requested for up to $11,000.00.

That's good to know. The idea that the FTC would be going after small bloggers is silly enough; the idea that the same blogger would ignore an official cease & desist notice is ridiculous. But as a commenter pointed out, what the FTC does respond to is complaints. We have already seen instances of disgruntled authors harassing bloggers over bad reviews. I would hate to think those authors had even more ammunition.

Still, it all boils down to a simple disclaimer: My copy of this book was an Advance Reader Copy. That should cover the bases for most bloggers. I know that's logical, but it still makes me nervous.