No matter the industry, people seek out Internet reviews of products, restaurants and services. But if those reviews are fake, written by a competitor trying to divert the company's business, legal implications may arise.
In October, New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman slapped 19 fake review companies with a $350,000 fine.
If an employee (or someone hired for the job) writes a false review, companies can be found liable for false advertising.
Although several pieces of legislation to address the issue have been proposed by Congress, none have been enacted, which means the Dept. of Justice will continue to monitor conflicts on a case-by-case basis.
© Touchpoint Markets, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.