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.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v. Social-Lites Pty Ltd [2017] FCA 398.
Government, through its agencies and officials including prosecutors, may seek to enforce its health laws. For example, the government may revoke the license of a retailer that sells tobacco products to minors. These cases may also directly involve the tobacco industry, for example, a government might impound and destroy improperly labeled cigarette packs.
Any violation of a law designed to ensure fair trade, competition, or the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. For example, a government may require businesses to disclose detailed information about products—particularly in areas where safety or public health is an issue.
Electronic and/or battery-operated devices designed to deliver an inhaled dose of nicotine or other substances. Examples include electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), electronic cigars, electronic cigarillos, electronic hookah, vaporizers, and vape pens. ENDS does not include any device or medication approved by the government as nicotine replacement therapy.
Limitations regarding the use of quotes The quotes provided here reflect statements from a specific decision. Accordingly, the International Legal Consortium (ILC) cannot guarantee that an appellate court has not reversed a lower court decision which may influence the applicability or influence of a given quote. All quotes have been selected based on the subjective evaluations undertaken by the ILC meaning that quotes provided here may not accurately or comprehensively represent a given court’s opinion or conclusion, as such quotes may have originally appeared alongside other negative opinions or accompanying facts. Further, some quotes are derived from unofficial English translations, which may alter their original meaning. We emphasize the need to review the original decision and related decisions before authoritatively relying on quotes. Using quotes provided here should not be construed as legal advice and is not intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter in any jurisdiction. Please see the full limitations at https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/about.
"Social-Lites did not have scientific or other evidence to support the Absolute Representation or the Comparative Representation, and did not carry out or commission any testing of the e-cigarette products or make reasonable or adequate enquiries to substantiate the accuracy of the Representations. By failing to do so, it made the Representations recklessly and without reasonable grounds.
Social-Lites made the statement set out in paragraph 11(a) of the SOAF on the Social-Lites Website with the intention that consumers who were seeking to avoid exposure to the harmful chemicals found in conventional tobacco cigarette smoke would be induced to purchase its e-cigarette products.
Accordingly, the Representations contravening s 29(1)(a) and 33 of the ACL, were made recklessly, and for commercial reasons."
Limitations regarding the use of quotes The quotes provided here reflect statements from a specific decision. Accordingly, the International Legal Consortium (ILC) cannot guarantee that an appellate court has not reversed a lower court decision which may influence the applicability or influence of a given quote. All quotes have been selected based on the subjective evaluations undertaken by the ILC meaning that quotes provided here may not accurately or comprehensively represent a given court’s opinion or conclusion, as such quotes may have originally appeared alongside other negative opinions or accompanying facts. Further, some quotes are derived from unofficial English translations, which may alter their original meaning. We emphasize the need to review the original decision and related decisions before authoritatively relying on quotes. Using quotes provided here should not be construed as legal advice and is not intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter in any jurisdiction. Please see the full limitations at https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/about.
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.