Category: CE

New York, NY – January 29, 2025 – As part of its routine monitoring program, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division inquired about the nature of the relationship between Revolve Group, Inc. and certain influencers. As a result of its inquiry, the National Advertising Division recommended Revolve modify influencer posts to clearly and conspicuously disclose the material connections between Revolve and influencers in its product gifting program.

At issue for the National Advertising Division (NAD) were Instagram posts from two influencers who tagged Revolve (@Revolve, #revolveme) but did not disclose any material connection between themselves and Revolve.

Revolve explained that it works directly with both influencers through a product gifting relationship. In exchange for receiving a clothing credit applicable towards Revolve products, the influencers agree to publish a certain number of social media posts featuring Revolve and to clearly and conspicuously disclose their relationship with Revolve.

In response to NAD’s inquiry, Revolve contacted both influencers and requested they clearly and conspicuously disclose their material connection to Revolve.

While certain Instagram posts were updated to include material connection disclosures, NAD noted that in one post, the influencer tags “@laneige_us @revolve #giftedbyrevolve” and in another only tags Revolve [@revolve] with the hashtag #giftedbyrevolve. NAD found that the disclosure (#giftedbyrevolve) runs words together and makes it difficult for consumers to understand.

In addition, certain influencer posts stated, “Wearing @revolve @loversfriendsla #sponsored.” NAD determined that tagging brands, particularly when multiple brands are tagged, does not make clear that a brand is sponsoring the post, or which brand is sponsoring the post.

NAD recommended that Revolve take steps to ensure that its influencers’ posts make clear the influencers’ material connection to the brand and noted that Revolve should consult the FTC Endorsement Guides as a resource for clear and conspicuous disclosures.

Revolve committed to increased monitoring of influencers’ posts and modified its Brand Ambassador Guidelines and Checkout Terms to ensure compliance with the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Endorsements and Testimonials Guides.

Consistent with this action, in its advertiser statement Revolve stated that it “will comply with NAD’s decision and recommendations.”

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. The National Advertising Division reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.

New York, NY – January 29, 2025 – In a challenge brought by competitor Jacuzzi Group, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division recommended that Bullfrog International discontinue certain claims promoting the personalization, power, energy efficiency, and durability of its Bullfrog spas as compared to “conventional” hot tubs.

Jacuzzi challenged claims made by Bullfrog on its website, YouTube, sales sheets, and through third-party dealers. Bullfrog’s spas have a patented system of interchangeable “JetPaks” that offer users personalized jet configurations that can be changed between seats.

Personalization Claims

Jacuzzi challenged claims that Bullfrog spas offer a more personalized experience compared to “conventional” hot tubs, such as “No other spa brand features so many personalization options that enhance even the most subtle comfort features.”

The National Advertising Division (NAD) determined that, while Bullfrog’s spas may offer “personalization” features distinguishing it from competitors, the evidence did not support the challenged claims that convey the message that Bullfrog offers a greater number of personalization options than any of its competitors or that competitor spas lack personalization options.

Therefore, NAD recommended that Bullfrog discontinue claims that its spas offer a more personalized experience compared to conventional hot tubs or modify them so they tout any advantages of Bullfrog’s JetPak system without unsupported comparisons.

Power Claims

Jacuzzi also challenged claims that Bullfrog spas are more powerful than conventional hot tubs. NAD determined that the challenged claims convey a superiority message that Bullfrog spas, by virtue of having less plumbing or more efficient plumbing, are more powerful than conventional hot tubs.

As there was no reliable evidence of the relative power of Bullfrog spas or any of its competitors, NAD recommended that Bullfrog discontinue claims conveying that its spas are more powerful than conventional hot tubs or modify them so they tout any advantages of Bullfrog’s spas’ design without making unsupported comparisons.

Energy Efficiency Claims

Additionally, Jacuzzi challenged claims that Bullfrog spas are more energy efficient than conventional hot tubs. NAD determined that Bullfrog’s comparative superiority energy saving claims were not supported. Accordingly, NAD recommended that Bullfrog discontinue such claims or modify them so they tout Bullfrog’s design features without making unsupported comparisons.

Durability Claims

Finally, Jacuzzi challenged claims Bullfrogs Spas’ base and frame are more durable and provide a longer hot tub lifespan compared to conventional hot tubs. NAD determined that certain challenged claims conveyed the comparative superiority messages that Bullfrog spas, under their “Endurabase” structure made with ABS plastic, have longer life spans than competitor spas made with wood or metal frames.

NAD found no evidence to support the challenged durability claims and recommended that Bullfrog discontinue or modify the claims so they tout the benefits of Bullfrog’s ABS frames without making unsupported comparisons and without conveying the message that Bullfrog spas will never degrade.

In its advertiser statement, Bullfrog stated that although it “respectfully disagrees with certain aspects of NAD’s decision and stands by the veracity of the general product advantage assertions” it will comply with the decision made in this case.

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. The National Advertising Division reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.

Contact:
Jennie Rosenberg
Media Relations
BBB National Programs
press@bbbnp.org

McLean, VA – January 28, 2025 – The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC) of BBB National Programs has referred direct selling company Reshaping and Nutritional Company, LLC d/b/a ArdyssLife to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office for possible enforcement action. The referral comes after Ardyss failed to confirm intent to comply with DSSRC recommendations to discontinue unsubstantiated earnings and health-related product performance claims made on the Ardyss website and on social media by its salesforce members.

DSSRC is an independent national advertising self-regulation program that monitors advertising and marketing claims in the direct selling industry. Ardyss is a direct selling company that markets reshaping apparel, nutrition, personal care, and home care products.

Earnings Claims

• Image of woman holding stack of hundred-dollar bills with copy stating “Unlock income streams that allow you to live the life you deserve”
• Image of $17,000 check with copy stating “…New team president with a check of nearly $17,000 in just 3 weeks of entering the business!…We have a new president! That earned a check that reached almost $17,000 in only 3 weeks!!!!”
• “You can gain financial freedom even I this time of Pandemic.”
• “Ready to embrace abundance and financial freedom?”
• “Elevate your lifestyle, embrace financial freedom, and create the future you’ve always imagined.”

Product Performance Claims

• “BENEFITS: Optimizes health and wellness, Aids conditions like arthritis and arthrosis, Useful in acne treatment, May provide relief from allergies, Supports respiratory health and conditions such asthma, pneumonia, Useful in illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses and funguses, May help support normal kidney, liver and gall bladder functioning.
• “Packed with antioxidants, Vitamin C, and a synergy of superfruits, this blend supports cellular health, strengthens immunity, and actively works towards cancer prevention. #superfruit #noni #antioxidants #celular #anticancer”
• “They could help tame inflammation, lessen stress, and help protect your heart, too. Some experts recommend elderberry to help prevent and ease cold and flu symptoms. Use Ardyss Shield to protect you from contracting Covid 19”
• “Can help prevent and ease cold and flu symptoms . . . may help to protect your cells from free radicals and increase your body’s defense.”
• Testimonies are coming in about people using this product who has Covid 19 and getting great results.
• Weight loss product for my challenge, 30-day, 30 min. 30lbs.
• 25 Reasons to drink the juice (0:56) (ranging from preventing tumors to sleeping better)

Ardyss did not respond to DSSRC’s ongoing requests for substantiation of the challenged claims and only confirmed removal of one of the 13 challenged social media posts. While DSSRC appreciated Ardyss’ efforts to remove one of the posts at issue, DSSRC remained concerned that 12 posts/claims are still publicly accessible.

Ardyss also did not respond to DSSRC’s various requests for evidence confirming that it attempted to contact the individuals responsible for disseminating the existing posts and failed to respond to DSSRC’s request for a Company Statement demonstrating its intention to comply with DSSRC’s recommendation to discontinue or significantly modify the remaining 12 social media posts.

After multiple attempts, Ardyss has failed to respond to DSSRC’s requests. Pursuant to DSSRC Policies and Procedures, Ardyss has now been referred to the FTC and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office for possible enforcement action.

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of DSSRC decisions, visit the DSSRC Cases and Closures webpage.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council: The Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), a division of BBB National Programs, provides independent, impartial monitoring, dispute resolution, and enforcement of false product claims and income representations made by direct selling companies and their salesforce members across digital platforms. The DSSRC seeks to establish high standards of integrity and business ethics for all direct selling companies in the marketplace.

Contact: Jennie Rosenberg, Media Relations, BBB National Programs, press@bbbnp.org

New York, NY – January 27, 2025 – In a challenge brought by competitor Bayer Healthcare LLC, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division recommended that Olly PBC discontinue or modify certain claims concerning its Kids Chillax dietary supplement’s ability to support calm and relaxed moods in children, as well as claims for Olly’s previous formulation of its Kids Multivitamin Probiotic (KMP).

Bayer and Olly manufacture dietary supplements, including multivitamins intended for use by children.

Express Claims

Olly markets its Chillax supplement, containing 50mg L-theanine, 30mg magnesium, and 50mg lemon balm, as supporting a “calm” and “relaxed” mood in kids while helping them “stay engaged” and highlights the ingredient L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea leaves, as the ingredient responsible for those effects.

At issue for the National Advertising Division (NAD) was whether a clinical study commissioned by Olly on its Chillax product, along with the existing research on L-theanine, supports Olly’s claims.

NAD concluded that Olly’s study was not a good fit for the challenged express claims because, among other reasons, NAD found that the assessments used to assess anxiety levels in the study were not reliable for the youngest participants in the study. NAD also found the evidence provided on L-theanine did not provide a good fit for the challenged claims.

NAD therefore recommended that Olly discontinue the following claims or modify its advertising to be consistent with the results of the underlying testing and research:

• OLLY’s Kids Chillax “supports a calm and relaxed mood”
• “Z is for Zen: These peaceful pals are just the thing to help gently calm little minds, while helping kiddos stay engaged”
• “L-Theanine is “Captain calm”
• A 50 mg dose of L-Theanine “works within 60 minutes to support a relaxed state of mind”
• L-Theanine “helps support a calm mood for kiddos”
• L-Theanine “works to support a relaxed state of mind”

During the proceeding, Olly permanently discontinued certain claims for its Chillax product. In addition, Olly informed NAD that it had reformulated the KMP product to use a different probiotic strain and confirmed that such claims pertaining to the prior formulation were permanently discontinued. Therefore, NAD did not review the discontinued claims on their merits and will treat the claims, for compliance purposes, as though NAD recommended they be discontinued.

Implied Claim

Bayer also argued that consumer reviews appearing on Olly’s website conveyed the message that The Kids Chillax supplement helps with ADHD, behavioral problems, anxiety, and sleep troubles. Bayer further argued that the consumer reviews should be deemed false or misleading implied claims that Olly has a responsibility to remove from its website.

NAD determined that the reviews are authentic because there was no evidence in the record that the reviews were false or fake, or that the reviews misrepresented or were not reflective of the individual reviewer’s experience. NAD further determined that Olly was engaging in reasonable practices with respect to its collection of reviews.

NAD noted that while the Federal Trade Commission guidance provides that advertisers are not required to moderate reviews with unsupported product benefit claims, it is prudent to monitor independent reviews for misleading messages. If a misleading message is repeated, advertisers should consider (1) removing reviews that make unsupported product claims (positive or negative), and (2) examine its advertising to determine if it contributes to misleading messages.

In its advertiser statement, Olly stated that it will appeal part of NAD’s decision because it “respectfully disagrees with NAD’s recommendation that it discontinue or modify the claims for its Kids Chillax product.”

Appeals of NAD decisions are made to the BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the appellate-level truth-in-advertising body of BBB National Programs.

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. The National Advertising Division reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.

Developed with customers leading the next wave of legal AI innovation, Protégé uses AI agents and generative AI, grounded in customer and LexisNexis content, for next-level productivity and outcomes

NEW YORK – LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of AI-powered analytics and decision tools, today announced the U.S. general availability of LexisNexis Protégé, a personalized AI assistant that intelligently powers productivity, drives next-level work quality, and enables legal and business professionals to unlock new economic value. Built with the highest levels of security, compliance, and privacy, Protégé is initially available within the Lexis+ AI^® legal workflow solution and Lexis^® Create+ for legal AI drafting in Microsoft Word and will soon be ubiquitous across LexisNexis products.

Developed responsibly with human oversight, agentic AI capabilities in Protégé can autonomously complete tasks based on user goals, including reviewing its own work and identifying areas where it can improve its own output. For the customer, this means simplified AI use, accelerated productivity, and enhanced value.

Leveraging proprietary agentic and generative AI technology from LexisNexis, Protégé can:

• Draft full, tailored transactional documents, as well as litigation motions, briefs, and complaints, and check its own work before turning them over to human legal professionals for final review. Documents can be further edited directly in Lexis+ AI or exported to Microsoft Word.
• Suggest legal workflow actions based on the type of documents uploaded (e.g., Draft a Legal Memo, Summarize, Draft an Argument) and dynamically generate follow-up prompts that are personalized to the lawyer’s workflow.
• Provide prompt assistance, proactively suggesting refinements to queries to help the user accomplish their goals efficiently.
• Allow users to securely upload and save tens of thousands of legal documents to Protégé Vault. On each Vault, users can perform numerous AI tasks to summarize, draft, research, and more.
• Draft deposition questions based on fact patterns, descriptions of witnesses, and other relevant information.
• Draft discovery documents, including Interrogatories, Request for Production of Documents, and Request for Admissions.
• Generate a graphical timeline of events from uploaded documents.
• Ask questions of or summarize large, complex documents of up to 1 million characters or approximately 300 pages—a 250% increase over previous processing limits.
• Enable users to upload transactional documents and conduct streamlined, systematic analyses with speed and accuracy.
• Review an uploaded motion or argument and find similar motions and arguments in the LexisNexis system to help the user refine their argument, find stronger authority, and identify potential weaknesses.
• Link quotes in litigation filings back to source documentation to confirm accuracy.
• And much more.

“LexisNexis is focused on improving outcomes and unlocking new levels of efficiency and value in legal work to support our customers’ success,” said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of LexisNexis North America, UK, and Ireland. “Our vision is for every legal professional to have a personalized AI assistant that makes their life better, and we’re delighted to deploy that through our world-class, fully integrated AI technology platform.”

Protégé can be personalized and grounded in a customer’s own documents and past work product via Document Management System (DMS) integration as well as the LexisNexis comprehensive repository of trusted legal content and metadata. This capability gives users:

• Customization control for better results and a more tailored AI experience, empowering them to share their role, practice area, jurisdiction, and style preferences to ensure the drafting style and output are highly personalized.
• Ability to query, extract clauses, and draft from their firm’s knowledge base, streamlining access to necessary precedents. DMS integrations include iManage, NetDocuments, Sharepoint, and others.

To learn more about LexisNexis Protégé capabilities, visit www.lexisnexis.com/protege. To learn more about Lexis+ AI, visit www.lexisnexis.com/ai.

More than 50 customers collaborated closely with LexisNexis on the development of Protégé as part of the company’s customer-driven innovation approach. This included leading Am Law 50 firms, small law firms, corporations, government offices, and law schools, including the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and the University of Notre Dame.

The LexisNexis global technology platform seamlessly integrates each wave of AI innovation, including extractive AI, which finds relevant results within data and provides deep insights; generative AI, which excels at creating new content from data based on user-entered prompts or instruction; and now agentic AI, which can intelligently and independently perform tasks on a user’s behalf.

About LexisNexis AI Development

LexisNexis customer-driven AI innovation focuses on analytics and decision tools that solve complex problems and enhance value. The company responsibly develops safe AI solutions with human oversight, backed by advanced encryption and privacy technology. Its global technology platform seamlessly integrates extractive, generative, and agentic AI within a scalable, multi-cloud infrastructure to drive rapid innovation and continuously improve answer quality, accuracy, and speed. A proprietary Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) platform grounds large language model (LLM) answers in a comprehensive repository of trusted legal content and metadata, delivering high-quality answers and validated citations. Its multi-model approach selects the best AI model for each use case, and model fine-tuning ensures high performance of domain-specific, personalized LLMs, supported by partners Mistral, Anthropic, AWS, and Microsoft. The company employs over 2,000 technologists, data scientists, and experts to develop, test, and validate solutions in line with RELX Responsible AI Principles.

About LexisNexis Legal & Professional 

LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional provides legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics that help customers increase their productivity, improve decision-making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis^® and Nexis^® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 11,800 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. 

Media Contact 

Dana Greenstein 
Director of Communications, North America & UK 
LexisNexis Legal & Professional 
212-448-2163 
dana.greenstein@lexisnexis.com

New York, NY – January 24, 2025 – In a Fast-Track SWIFT challenge brought by oral care competitor GuruNanda LLC, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division recommended that Oral Essentials, Inc. discontinue the claim that its Lumineux Whitening Mouthwash is “Enamel Safe.”

Fast-Track SWIFT is an expedited process designed for single-issue advertising cases brought to the National Advertising Division (NAD). At issue was whether Oral Essentials had a reasonable basis to claim that its Lumineux Whitening Mouthwash is “Enamel Safe.”

The challenged claim appeared on the Lumineux Whitening Mouthwash label and in other advertising. In some iterations the “enamel safe” claim appears close to a “clinically proven” claim, unconnected to any specific claim in the advertising. Oral Essentials relied on the results of a Scanning Electron Microsopy (SEM) study on the effects of the use of Lumineux Whitening Mouthwash on enamel tooth chips after being treated in the manner instructed on the packaging.

NAD found that Oral Essentials’ evidence did not support the unqualified safety claim and noted that while the 30-day SEM study has a number of hallmarks of a well-controlled study and did not indicate any negative effect on the enamel samples studied, it was not a good fit for the challenged unqualified “Enamel Safe” claim, which NAD found reasonably conveys a message that daily use of the product will have no negative impact on enamel.

Therefore, NAD recommended that Oral Essentials discontinue the challenged “Enamel Safe” claim. NAD noted that nothing in its decision precludes Oral Essentials from making other truthful and non-misleading claims regarding the safety of its Lumineux Whitening Mouthwash, including claims relating to the product’s effect on enamel.

In its advertiser statement, Oral Essentials stated that “while strongly disagreeing with NAD’s decision, as a supporter of the advertising industry’s system of voluntary self-regulation, Oral Essentials will follow NAD’s recommendation.”

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The  National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs  provides  independent self-regulation  and dispute resolution services,  guiding  the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD  reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for  advertising  truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to  consumers  and leveling the playing field for business.  

New York, NY – January 23, 2025 – In a BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division challenge brought by Eli Lilly and Company, Admire Aesthetics, Inc. voluntarily discontinued certain advertising claims for its compounded tirzepatide product.

The inquiry focused on express and implied claims made by Admire Aesthetics about the benefits, efficacy, and safety of its compounded tirzepatide with B12 product. The challenged claims included statements that patients would experience increased energy levels, enhanced well-being, and superior weight loss effectiveness compared to other products such as Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro.

During the inquiry, Admire Aesthetics informed the National Advertising Division (NAD) that it had permanently discontinued all the challenged claims. NAD will treat the discontinued claims, for compliance purposes, as though NAD recommended they be discontinued.

In its advertiser statement, Admire Aesthetics stated that they “fully support the self-regulatory process and remain dedicated to truth in advertising.”

All BBB National Programs case decision summaries can be found in the case decision library. For the full text of NAD, NARB, and CARU decisions, subscribe to the online archive. This press release shall not be used for advertising or promotional purposes.

About BBB National Programs: BBB National Programs, a non-profit organization, is the home of U.S. independent industry self-regulation, currently operating more than a dozen globally recognized programs that have been helping enhance consumer trust in business for more than 50 years. These programs provide third-party accountability and dispute resolution services that address existing and emerging industry issues, create a fairer playing field for businesses, and a better experience for consumers. BBB National Programs continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-and-teen-directed marketing, data privacy, dispute resolution, automobile warranty, technology, and emerging areas. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: The National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. The National Advertising Division reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.

LexisNexis^® Intellectual Property Solutions Achieves 99.9% Data Accuracy for 5G Patents Through Collaboration With Top ETSI-Declaring Companies to Match, Clean, Expand, and Verify Patent Declaration Data

New York, NY – January 23, 2025 – LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional today announced the ‘Cellular Verified’ initiative, a first-of-its-kind collaboration with over 30 of the top 5G patent- holding companies to rigorously improve the accuracy of patent declaration data. Through a year-long collaboration with the industry’s leading telecommunications companies, LexisNexis^® Intellectual Property Solutions was able to achieve 99.9% data accuracy by matching, cleaning, enhancing, and verifying its database of patent families with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) declaration database.

“Patent declaration data is inherently inconsistent, shaped by each company’s unique declaration practices. If such self-declarations are not rigorously cleaned and verified, the data favors companies that provide more detailed and cleaner information, resulting in a systematic bias. This creates significant challenges for the industry, from licensing negotiations to FRAND rate determinations,” said Tim Pohlmann, Managing Director Americas and Director of SEP Analytics for LexisNexis Intellectual Property Solutions. “Cellular Verified directly addresses these challenges by delivering clean, standardized, and validated patent declaration data, ensuring stakeholders can rely on a trusted and impartial source for critical decisions. This collaboration underscores our, but also the industry’s commitment to delivering the most reliable and comprehensive patent declaration data.”

“Our industry has long faced challenges with gaps, redundancies, and errors in patent declaration data, which can lead to inefficiencies in licensing and disputes,” said Alan Fan, Vice President and Head of IPR Department at Huawei. “Our collaborative work with LexisNexis Intellectual Property Solutions on the Cellular Verified initiative has significantly strengthened the accuracy of patent declaration data for all stakeholders. This initiative provides clarity to the market and enables us to focus on innovation and strategic growth with greater confidence. It’s a testament to the power of industry partnerships in driving meaningful progress and innovation forward.”

Data Challenges Around Patent Declarations

Hosting the world’s leading source of patent declarations essential to standard technologies like 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, including over 555,000 declared patents across 100,000 patent families, ETSI plays a pivotal role in the telecommunications market by setting standards that ensure interoperability and compatibility among devices and networks.

In response to some court rulings that prohibit the enforcement of late-declared patents, many ETSI-declaring companies now self-declare patents at the earliest possible stage, frequently including unpublished provisional or priority numbers. The self-declaration process introduces significant variability, as companies follow different approaches when declaring their patents. Companies often submit patent numbers in varying formats and types. Some provide only provisional numbers, while others declare application numbers, grant numbers, and all jurisdictional counterparts.

This lack of consistency results in an ambiguous ETSI database, complicating analysis and interpretation. Top-down analysis of 4G or 5G patent owners can become biased, underrepresenting the patent portfolio size of companies that share less information while favoring those that declare more extensively, leading to inaccurate analyses and conflicting reports on 4G and 5G patent ownership.

Because of those data issues, 40% of self-declared patents cannot be directly matched to normalized and cleaned patent information, while roughly 20% of matched numbers result in false positives due to the ambiguity of patent numbers.

The Cellular Verified Initiative: A Collaborative Solution

The Cellular Verified initiative was undertaken to address those challenges around patent data accuracy and ensure companies could be confident in the integrity and reliability of patent data used in patent licensing negotiations, commercialization, and patent pool formation.

Collaborating with over 30 top ETSI-declaring companies, LexisNexis^® Intellectual Property Solutions has established a new standard for data accuracy through the Cellular Verified process.

• Matching and Cleaning Data: Standardizing patent numbers across formats to achieve 99.9% accuracy through advanced matching algorithms and company feedback.
• Expanding Family Coverage: Identifying missing patent family counterparts to ensure a complete global view of declared patents.
• Classifying Patents by Standard Generation: Cross-referencing patents with ETSI datasets to accurately classify them by technology generation (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G).
• Enhancing Ownership Data: Updating legal status and harmonizing ownership records using corporate tree data to reflect acquisitions and reassignment.

This chart shows the success of LexisNexis matching and cleaning efforts, as the average matching rate improved from t1 (initial matching efforts) to t7 (advanced application of matching processes) to Cellular Verified (final verified matching with feedback from declaring companies).

Through rigorous validation processes and ongoing input from ETSI-declaring companies, Cellular Verified provides a clean, unbiased database of declared patents, including weekly data updates to ensure the data remains current.

The Cellular Verified initiative not only enhances the accuracy of patent data but also provides a robust foundation for stakeholders to assess the value of patent portfolios, prepare for FRAND negotiations, and benchmark licensing offers against comparable agreements. As the 5G era continues to evolve, LexisNexis^® IPlytics remains at the forefront of standard essential patent analytics solutions, delivering unparalleled insights and clarity to the world of patent ownership.

Learn more about the Cellular Verified initiative here: www.lexisnexisip.com/cellular-verified. Read the new 2025 report on the 5G patent space — “Who Is Leading the 5G Patent Race?” — based on Cellular Verified data from LexisNexis Intellectual Property Solutions here: www.lexisnexisip.com/5g-report.

About LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional

LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional provides legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics that help customers increase their productivity, improve decision-making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis^® and Nexis^® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 11,800 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.

About LexisNexis^® Intellectual Property Solutions

LexisNexis^® Intellectual Property Solutions bring clarity to innovation for businesses worldwide. We enable innovators to accomplish more by helping them make informed decisions, be more productive, comply with regulations, and ultimately achieve a competitive advantage for their business. Our broad suite of workflow and analytics solutions (LexisNexis^® PatentSight+, LexisNexis^® Classification, LexisNexis^® TechDiscovery, LexisNexis^® IPlytics, LexisNexis PatentOptimizer^®, LexisNexis PatentAdvisor^®, and LexisNexis TotalPatent One^®, LexisNexis^® IP DataDirect), enables companies to be more efficient and effective at bringing meaningful innovations to our world. We are proud to directly support and serve these innovators in their endeavors to better humankind.

LexisNexis | Intellectual Property Solutions

Bringing clarity to innovation