Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v. Social-Lites Pty Ltd

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission successfully took action against an e-cigarette company for making false and misleading statements in violation of the Australian Consumer Law. The e-cigarette company stated on its website and in a YouTube video that its products did not contain carcinogens and toxic substances found in traditional tobacco cigarettes. 

In this decision, the court accepted the Commission’s recommendations and ordered the company to stop making statements that its products do not contain carcinogens and toxic substances for a period of three years. The court found that the company had no evidence to support its statements, which had the potential to mislead consumers who might not have purchased the products if they had known about the presence of these chemicals. Additionally, the court ordered the company to include information on its website about this decision for 90 days. Finally, the court fined the company $50,000 and its director $10,000. 

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Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v. Social-Lites Pty Ltd [2017] FCA 398.

  • Australia
  • May 2, 2017
  • Federal Court of Australia

Parties

Plaintiff Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

Defendant

  • Mr. Lee O'Hare
  • Social-Lites Pty Ltd

Legislation Cited

Related Documents

Type of Litigation

Tobacco Control Topics

Substantive Issues

Type of Tobacco Product