Legal News

Attorneys say we'll soon be soaking in claims of 'greenwashing'

By Richard Binder

The so-called green movement has sprouted a fresh crop of lawsuits: greenwashing claims, in which companies are getting sued for making bogus eco-friendly statements about their products.

Among the recent suits: In March, a consumer filed a class action against S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. in federal court in California, alleging that the maker of Windex is misleading consumers about the "environmental safety and soundness" of the cleaning product. At issue is S.C. Johnson's use of its "Greenlist" trademark, which the lawsuit claims is misleading because it's not a third-party endorsement, but rather a mark owned by S.C. Johnson.

Consumer plaintiffs and environmental groups have caught on, lawyers warn. "This is the beginning of what may be an explosion in these kinds of cases," said patent attorney Eric Lane of the Del Mar, Calif., office of San Diego-based Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps, who runs the Green Patent Blog and tracks greenwashing litigation. "This is a hot area of false advertising."

Full story at NLJ.com.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on June 08, 2009 (boomark / email).