The Bollman Hat Company entered into a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"), agreeing to stop making false claims that its hats and other products are made in the United States.
The FTC alleged that Bollman promoted its hats with claims such as "American Made Matters," "Choose American," and "Made in USA since 1868." The FTC said, however, that more than 70 percent of Bollman's hat styles are wholly imported and many others contain significant imported content.
The FTC also alleged that Bollman misled consumers through the use of a U.S.-origin seal that the company introduced, known as "American Made Matters." The FTC said that the company not only used the seal on its own products, but improperly licensed the seal to others as well. The FTC alleged that the seal falsely represented that the companies using it have been certified by an independent third party and that Bollman has competent and reliable evidence that the products with the seal were, in fact, all or virtually all made in the United States.
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This is the third case involving deceptive Made in USA claims that the FTC has brought in the last 12 months.
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