Chinese Counterfeits, Fakes & Knock-Offs

[GeneChing]

Williams-Sonoma must pay $3.2 million for falsely claiming products were "Made in the USA"
The newest civil penalty is the largest ever in a "Made in the USA" case, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Eric Lagatta
USA TODAY

Williams-Sonoma is facing a costly penalty for falsely claiming that some of its products were "Made in the USA," the Federal Trade Commission has announced.

Under the terms of a settlement, the San Francisco-based home furnishing retailer agreed to pay a $3.17 million fine for violating a 2020 order that required the company to be truthful about where its products were made. That order stemmed from a previous lawsuit against Williams-Sonoma that also ended with the company agreeing to a $1 million fine.

But in the FTC's latest lawsuit against Williams-Sonoma, the federal agency stated that the company has continued to make deceptive claims about the origins of its products, many of which were in fact found to be made in China.

The newest civil penalty is the largest ever in a "Made in the USA" case, the federal agency, which enforces consumer protection laws, said in a Friday press release.


A view of a Williams-Sonoma store in 2022 in Corte Madera, California. The San Francisco-based home furnishing retailer is facing a $3.17 million fine for falsely labeling some goods as "Made in America," according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Zillow addresses viral 'Bluey' epiosde:'Moving 'might just be a good thing' real-estate company says in new ad

Tip came from consumer who purchased mattress pad

The FTC first sued Williams-Sonoma in 2020 after investigating reports of multiple products that the company had falsely listed on its website and catalog as being made in the United States.

Among those products were the company's Goldtouch Bakeware, some of its Rejuvenation home-improvement products and certain pieces of upholstered furniture sold under the Pottery Barn Teen and Pottery Barn Kids brands, the FTC said. The company was required to pay $1 million to the FTC and agreed to an order that required them to stop their deceptive claims and follow the agency's "Made in USA" requirements.

But earlier this year, a consumer alerted TruthInAdvertising.org about a mattress pad falsely advertised on Pottery Barn Teen’s website as “Crafted in America from domestic and imported materials.” The mattress pad that arrived was labeled as “Made in China,” according to Truth in Advertising, an independent watchdog, which provided screenshots on its website.

TruthInAdverstising.org tipped off the FTC about the product page advertising the mattress pad, which sparked an investigation and lawsuit against Williams-Sonoma.

In addition to the civil penalty, the federal court settlement also requires Williams-Sonoma to submit annual compliance certifications. The FTC's Made in USA Labeling Rule, which went into effect in August 2021, made it possible to impose civil penalties on companies found to be in violation.

“Williams-Sonoma’s deception misled consumers and harmed honest American businesses," FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said in a statement last week. "Today’s record-setting civil penalty makes clear that firms committing Made-in-USA fraud will not get a free pass.”

Williams-Sonoma did not immediately respond Monday morning to USA TODAY's request to comment.

What to know about products falsely listed as 'Made in the USA'

The FTF determined that Williams-Sonoma falsely advertised its Pottery Barn Teen mattress pads as “Crafted in America from domestic and imported materials" even though they were imported from China.

The agency then investigated six other products that were found to be a violation of the 2020 order regarding "Made in USA" products. According to a complaint, Williams-Sonoma was not able to prove either that the materials were sourced from the United States or that final assembly took place in the U.S.

Truth in Advertising said that Williams-Sonoma now accurately lists the mattress as imported.



Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

Can't blame China for this one...

[GeneChing]

China Zoo 'Dyes' Chow Chow Dogs to Pass Off As Panda Bears and People Are Outraged
Eve Vawter
Tue, May 7, 2024 at 12:15 PM PDT·2 min read


The Taizhou Zoo in China is under scrutiny after it was discovered that visitors to their zoo expecting to see Panda bears actually waited in line to see animals that just looked like Panda bears, adorable Chow Chow dogs that had their hair dyed to resemble the amazingly rare bears.

Even though these Pandas aren't actually Pandas, the dogs sure do look cute.

The Sun reports "Tens of thousands of people visited the "panda dogs" every day from May 1 to May 5, Chinese media Jiupai News reports.

Clips taken by visitors appeared to show the pups with black ears, limbs, and dark circles around their eyes, but their canine features were still very much apparent.

The dyed pets sparked a wave of complaints against Taizhou Zoo as furious visitors claimed they were mislead into believing they would see real pandas.

Some people complained that it was cruel to dye the dogs to look like pandas, but actually there are some hair colors that are totally safe for pets. I'm not a huge fan of dying an animal's fur, but if someone uses pet safe dye that's really up to the owner.

Why the Zoo May Have Pulled This Stunt

Giant Pandas are an endangered species and amongst one of the world's most threatened animals with only less than 2,000 of these beautiful creatures in the wild. More than 300 giant Pandas live in captivity in various facilities around the globe.

When the National Zoo had Giant Pandas, visits to the National Zoo between Sept. 26 and Nov. 9 — roughly the start of Panda Palooza to the bears’ departure day — increased 179 percent over the same period in 2022, said Ellie Tahmaseb, a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. More than 250,000 people entered the National Zoo over that six-week period last year, including guests from Alaska, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Guam.

People love seeing Giant Pandas and they draw huge crowds to zoos.

Where can you see these beautiful Animals in the United States? The Associated Press reports that It will still be months before the San Diego Zoo gets new pandas, the first such bears sent to the United States by China in decades.

For now, the only U.S. zoo left with any is in Atlanta. But globally there are many places to check out the cuddly black-and-white bundles of fur as they munch on bamboo, climb trees and lounge on their backs.Globally you can see these creatures in Moscow, Mexico City and Berlin.

Chinese-Counterfeits-Fakes-amp-Knock-Offs
Pandas!

[YinOrYan]

Chinese-Counterfeits-Fakes-amp-Knock-Offs
Pandas!

Is there anyone that sells these done with pet safe dye in California?

[GeneChing]