Power Balance is a brand of
wrist band claimed by its manufacturers and vendors to "use
holographic technology" to affect the wearer's "natural
energy field". Numerous independent studies of the device have found that it is
ineffective at improving athletic performance.
اقامه دعوا در استرالیا و چند مورد دیگر بخاطر تبلیغ دروغین:
Legal issues
In November 2010, the Australian distributors of 'Power Balance' were ordered by the
Therapeutic Goods Complaints Resolution Panel to drop "
false and misleading" claims that the wearers would experience "up to a 500% increase in strength, power and flexibility", and ordered the claims removed from the company's website and a retraction posted within two weeks.
[17] The
Junta de Andalucia fined the Marbella-based subsidiary a sum of
€15,000 for false advertising; consumer organization
Facua are appealing to the Health Department for an increased fine as they consider this insufficient.
[18]
Also in November 2010 Power Balance filed suit against
Microsoft for infringement of
trade dress in respect of the
Xbox Kinect.
[19][20]
In December 2010, the
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) obtained from Power Balance Australia Pty. Ltd. an undertaking to take a number of actions in relation to correcting their misleading advertising,
[21][22] including:
publishing, at its own expense, corrective advertisements
[23]
ceasing to claim that the products
[24]
will improve the user's balance, strength and flexibility; or
are 'designed to work with the body's natural energy field';
nor, in conjunction with the Products, make claims that 'Power Balance is Performance Technology' or use the phrase "Performance Technology"
ceasing to manufacture or import products contaning the words "Performance Technology"
[25]
blacking out the words "Performance Technology" on its packaging
[26]
replacing its promotional and marketing material
[27]
offering full refunds, plus postage
[28]
Power Balance Australia chief executive Tom O'Dowd admitted that "we'd made claims in the start that said that our product improved strength, balance and flexibility, and we didn't have the scientific peer reviewed double blind testing or the level of proof that we needed to substantiate those claims".
[29] ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel stated
"It's a crock frankly. And we're very disappointed that so many people have paid hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars to buy these Power Bands."
Power Balance Australia were required by the ACCC to run a series of advertisements in Australian media containing the following text and to unconditionally refund those they mislead:
"In our advertising we stated that Power Balance wristbands improved your strength, balance and flexibility. We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct in breach of s52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974. If you feel you have been misled by our promotions, we wish to unreservedly apologise and offer a full refund." - Power Balance statement.
[5][30][31]In December 2010 Italy's Antitrust Authority fined the Power Balance with 300,000 euro (and another company for 50,000 euro) for not having scientific proof of the claims made.
[32]
منبع:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Balance
15 هزار یورو استرالیا جریمه شده.
300 هزار یورو دولت ایتالیا جریمه کرده برای ادعای دروغش.
