Tag: BNN

New York, NY – August 6, 2024 – The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of BBB National Programs launched an investigation into the KidGeni website, a generative AI art creator designed for children. The investigation, prompted by CARU’s routine monitoring activities, sought to determine if KidGeni’s platform complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and CARU’s Privacy Guidelines.  

KidGeni markets its website, which is based on generative AI technology, as “the best place for kids to turn inspirations into art, stories, and more.” KidGeni creates these art, stories, and images based on the text description provided by the child and the training data from the four open-source AI technologies KidGeni relies upon to operate: Open AI, Stability.ai, Replicate, and ElevenLabs.io.

During CARU’s investigation into KidGeni, CARU identified that extensive personal information is collected through account sign-up, subscription to the KidGeni newsletter, and website inputs without first obtaining verifiable parental consent (VPC) and it was unclear to CARU if KidGeni shares this personal information with the AI platforms it relies upon.

CARU also identified tracking technologies from third-party companies engaged in data collection for advertising purposes hosted on the KidGeni website with no prompt to provide VPC.

COPPA requires sufficient, direct notice to parents or guardians regarding what information a website collects from children, how it uses such information, and its disclosure practices for such information, and to use reasonable efforts using available technology to provide such direct notice. Privacy notices must be clearly and understandably written, complete, and must contain no unrelated, confusing, or contradictory materials.

When CARU opened this inquiry, the KidGeni website did not have a Privacy Policy posted on its website. Since then, KidGeni has posted a privacy policy that is incomplete, insufficient, and obscurely embedded in the copyright footer on the website.

As a result of these findings, CARU concluded that KidGeni violated multiple provisions of COPPA and CARU’s Privacy Guidelines by:

• Failing to provide clear notice of its information collection and use practices.
• Not making reasonable efforts to ensure parents/guardians receive direct notice of its practices regarding the collection, use, or disclosure of children’s personal information.
• Omitting a clearly labeled link to its online notice of children’s information collection on its website and at each point where personal information is collected from children.
• Failing to obtain parental consent before collecting children’s personal information.
• Not providing a reasonable means for parents to review and request the deletion of personal information collected from their children.

Due to these violations, CARU recommends KidGeni take the following corrective actions:

• Revise the website to provide clear, conspicuous notice to parents about data collection practices, including the use of AI technologies.
• Update the Privacy Policy to accurately reflect all data collection practices, including details on third-party data sharing and retention policies.
• Implement clear mechanisms for obtaining verifiable parental consent before any data collection from children.
• Ensure that user inputs, including from children, are not used to train AI models and that no personally identifiable information is collected or used for algorithm development.

In its advertiser’s statement, KidGeni stated it will comply with CARU’s recommendations and that it “appreciates the opportunity to address the concerns raised” and is “committed to ensuring our platform provides a safe and secure environment for our users.”  

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. 

About Children’s Advertising Review Unit: The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), a division of BBB National Programs and the nation’s first Safe Harbor Program under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), helps companies comply with laws and guidelines that protect children from deceptive or inappropriate advertising and ensure that, in an online environment, children’s data is collected and handled responsibly. When advertising or data collection practices are misleading, inappropriate, or inconsistent with laws and guidelines, CARU seeks change through the voluntary cooperation of companies and where relevant, enforcement action.

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. 

• Inspectors award three new eateries two MICHELIN Stars and one new Green Star
• Seven restaurants receive one MICHELIN Star for the first time
• 10 new Bib Gourmand restaurants added, bringing the total to 132
• 2024 selection includes 577 restaurants spanning 60 cuisine types

 

Half Moon Bay, Calif., August 5, 2024 — The 2024 edition of the MICHELIN Guide California touts seven new one MICHELIN Star restaurants and three new two MICHELIN Star eateries. The full selection was announced Monday night at the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.

Aubergine, Sons & Daughters and Vespertine were each awarded two MICHELIN Stars, with Vespertine also being the newest Green Star restaurant in the selection. California now holds 13 two MICHELIN Starred restaurants and 16 Green Stars.

“California continues to shine bright as we see the culinary scene evolve and highlight emerging talent and cuisines,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the MICHELIN Guides. ”This year we are thrilled to welcome 10 new restaurants to the family of MICHELIN Starred restaurants, in addition to one new Green Star.”

“Our Inspectors continue to be impressed with this year’s selection and we toast and celebrate the excellent chef and restaurant teams being recognized. The wide array of culinary offerings will excite foodies both near and far and continue to put California on the map.”

In total, eighty-five MICHELIN Starred restaurants comprise the 2024 edition of the MICHELIN Guide California. Here are the new MICHELIN Starred restaurants, with Inspector notes from each (Inpsectors’ comments in full on the MICHELIN Guide website and mobile app):

Two MICHELIN Stars

Aubergine (Carmel-by-the-Sea; Contemporary/Californian)

Easygoing luxury and refinement strike a harmonious note within L’Auberge Carmel, where every element seems designed to delight. Chef Justin Cogley balances classic technique with a sleek, modern aesthetic, and his cooking captures a sense of place that feels wholly his own. Products of spectacular quality are prepared skillfully and painstakingly presented with an artistic eye, as in a surprising “cabbage” taco filled with shallot jam, Madeira-braised treviso, Kaluga queen caviar and cabbage chips. The hits keep coming, like the rice roulade with Dungeness crab finished in a white dashi and butter sauce or the triple-seared dry-aged ribeye brushed in wagyu XO.

Sons & Daughters (San Francisco; Contemporary)

A cleanly minimalist new Nordic style is clearer than ever in Chef Harrison Cheney‘s elegant tasting menu that deftly weaves together a variety of preserved fruits and vegetables, flawless seafood, and aged meats. Meals are off to an impressive start with the likes of a refreshing cured California trout dressed with a chilled fish bone broth drizzled with herbed oil. Rutabaga is transformed into thin, flat strands mimicking pasta and comes dressed with a creamy-textured smoked pork fat sauce. The applewood roasted quail features crisped-skin breast plated with a luscious jus and bouquet of Napa Valley greens, while the leg and thigh are glazed with fermented blueberry.

Vespertine (Culver City; Contemporary)

Beginning a new chapter, Chef Jordan Kahn’s singular operation emerges from a lengthy hiatus with a renewed creative vision. Diners enjoy a tasting menu that is likewise out of the ordinary, moving between floors as the meal progresses. Each dish is visually stunning, with cuisine that is not only daringly inventive, but also marshals finely honed technique and impeccably balanced flavors as in an artful dish of scallop with passionfruit, ají amarillo, and petals of horseradish tuile, or an “obsidian mirror” of smoked mussel cream with salted plum. The meal ends as strong as it begins, with a mesmerizing dessert that features kaleidoscopic flavors. Together with their sister restaurants, Vespertine works to ensure all ingredients are used in their entirety.

One MICHELIN Star

Hilda and Jesse (San Francisco; American)

Offering what may well be the Bay Area’s most creative and ambitious take on brunch, this disarming passion project from co-owners Kristina Compton and Rachel Sillcocks gets its extra shine from the pair’s extensive fine dining experience—each also contributed a grandparent for the restaurant’s name. There is nothing precious or manicured about the cooking here. It is often bold and brash, a total riot of flavors mixed with stellar ingredients, and dishes are equal parts unexpected and undeniably satisfying. At dinner, find a rotating, seasonal multicourse menu with a few optional add-ons.

Holbox (Los Angeles; Mexican)

Chef Gilbert Cetina, who previously cooked with his father at neighboring stall Chichen Itza, draws from Mexican coastal cuisines in dishes whose simplicity belies remarkable flavor. Spectacular quality seafood of unassailable freshness leaves an impression, whether in electrifyingly vibrant aguachiles and ceviches, excellent tacos served on house-made heirloom corn tortillas, or skillfully grilled lobster—a panoply of exceptional house salsas gilds the lily. The frequently changing menu offers no shortage of delights, and a tasting menu, offered by reservation only on Thursdays and Fridays, is hotly sought-after.

Kiln (San Francisco; Contemporary)

Industry veterans Chef John Wesley and general manager Julianna Yang have combined their talents at Kiln, where the warehouse space is warmed by personable service and the kitchen delivers artful creations. The tasting menu leans Nordic, highlighting preservation techniques like curing, drying and fermentation in dishes whose simplicity is belied by intricate techniques and compelling flavor combinations. Opening snacks like a crispy curlicue of puffed beef tendon captures this ethos, while others, like a squab breast lacquered with burnt honey and served with a truffled jus, display a classical bent.

Meteora (Los Angeles; Creative)

This whimsical, immersive space is a touch otherworldly, with its tangled greenery, moody lighting, and trance-y soundtrack, but guests will be happy to fall under its spell when they taste Chef Jordan Kahn’s singular cuisine. Primal live-fire cooking combines with a zero-waste ethos and a treasure trove of sustainably sourced wild and organic ingredients to create dishes that are as memorable as they are delicious. Charred yam with a buttery sauce accented with smoked trout roe and grilled hazelnuts is more than the sum of its parts, and a dish of raw scallops with a vivid macadamia nut leche de tigre, banana, and crunchy kombu manages to both surprise and delight.

R|O-Rebel Omakase (Laguna Beach; Japanese)

As its name suggests, omakase is indeed the name of the game here, where two seatings per night are available by reservation and overseen by Chef Jordan Nakasone. Rooted in tradition, the meal skews contemporary with a focus on seasonality and product quality. In addition to standout sushi such as Japanese white salmon and shima aji, there are a surprising number of kitchen dishes, including gindara, a rectangle of cod set in a memorable cauliflower dashi and garnished with tonburi and a delicious, comforting chawanmushi topped with firefly squid and shaved bottarga.

7 Adams (San Francisco; Californian)

In this city, finding a five-course menu for under a hundred dollars is a tall order. Chefs Serena and David Fisher make it seem effortless, though, bringing their signature magic to this second act in a sleek new space. The cuisine keeps an unfussy Californian simplicity, featuring solid technique and thoughtful flavor combinations that allow quality seasonal ingredients to shine. Think carefully shaped caramelle pasta that pairs a filling of sweet and nutty kabocha squash with buttery chanterelles, or crisp-skinned black cod with sunchoke confit and a finely tuned shellfish broth. Desserts never fail to end the meal on a strong note, as in a perfectly tender, moist apple crumb cake dressed up with an orange bay leaf ice cream and satsuma granita.

Uka (Los Angeles; Japanese)

Chef Yoshitaka Mitsue and Chef Shingo Kato (both formerly of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations) and two waiters take great care with the details at this sleek hideaway nestled within Japan House at the Ovation Hollywood. Here, the fish is sourced from Japan and flown in twice weekly, then cured or aged in-house. It’s all part of the kaiseki dining experience at Uka, where guests are invited to savor six or nine courses. Most of the menu leans traditional, as in the kabutamushi, a dumpling made with shredded turnip and filled with Japanese sea bream, while French influences make their way into dishes like grilled abalone with a butter ponzu sauce and wagyu with a red wine jus and miso butter sauce.

MICHELIN Green Star

Vespertine (Culver City; Contemporary)

Initiatives: sourcing ingredients ethically from biodynamic, organic or wild origins; partnership with two local farms practicing biodynamic farming; locally foraged herbs; sustainably sourced seafood from indigenous fishing communities or local fisherman; utilizing open pasture grass-fed beef; sustainable commitment to dining room decor including wool carpeting, recycled glassware and wild-harvested ceramic serving pieces.

Bib Gourmand

The MICHELIN Guide Inspectors added 10 restaurants to the Bib Gourmand list, which recognizes eateries for great food at a great value: Cedro Italian Restaurant, Grá, Little Fish, Liu’s Cafe, Lola Gaspar, Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles, Manohar’s Deli Palace, Molti Amici, Pollo a la Brasa and Quarter Sheets.

Special Awards

In addition to the Bib Gourmand and Stars awards, the Guide announced four MICHELIN Special Awards, highlighting particularly skillful professionals from the industry:

The MICHELIN Guide Ceremony is presented with the support of Capital One.

Hotels

The California restaurant selection joins the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most unique and exciting places to stay in California and around the world.

Every hotel in the Guide is chosen for its extraordinary style, service, and personality — with options for all budgets — and each hotel can be booked directly through the MICHELIN Guide website and app. The selection for California features the state’s most spectacular hotels, including sustainability pioneers like Napa’s Carneros Resort and the Ranch at Laguna Beach, standouts from our “Plus” collection like the Madrona in Healdsburg and the Aster in Los Angeles, beachfront bohemia like Surfrider Malibu and Cambria Beach Lodge, desert oases like Holiday House Palm Springs, and even SingleThread Inn, a hotel and restaurant in Healdsburg with the rare distinction of being awarded three MICHELIN Stars and three MICHELIN Keys.

The MICHELIN Guide is a benchmark in gastronomy. Now it’s setting a new standard for hotels. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an unforgettable hotel.

The MICHELIN Guide California Selection

California’s 2024 MICHELIN-Starred restaurants

California’s 2024 MICHELIN-Green-Starred restaurants

California’s 2024 Bib Gourmand restaurants

The MICHELIN Guide in North America
Michelin announced its first North American Guide in 2005 for New York.
Guides have also been added in Chicago (2011); Washington, D.C. (2017);
California (San Francisco in 2008, statewide 2019);
Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Florida (2022); Toronto (2022); Vancouver (2022);
Colorado (2023); Atlanta (2023) and Mexico (2024).

About the MICHELIN Guide

Recognized globally for excellence and quality, the MICHELIN Guide offers a selection of world-class restaurants.

• The famous one, two and three MICHELIN Stars identify establishments serving exceptional cuisine that’s rich in flavor, remarkably executed and infused with the personality of a talented
• The Bib Gourmand is a designation given to select restaurants that offer good quality food for a good value – often known as personal favorites among the inspectors when dining on their own
• The MICHELIN Green Star honors restaurants that are pioneers in sustainable
• Recommended restaurants and special professional awards are also highlighted by the MICHELIN Guide

The MICHELIN Guide remains a reliable companion for any traveler seeking an unforgettable meal and hospitality experience. The Guide was first published in France at the turn of the 20th century to encourage the development of car mobility as well as tire sales by giving practical advice to motorists. Progressively, the Guide has specialized in restaurant and hotel recommendations. Michelin’s inspectors still use the same criteria and manner of selection that were used by the inspectors in the very beginning.

The restaurant selections join the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, which features the most unique and exciting places to stay around the world. Visit the MICHELIN Guide website, or download the free app for iOS and Android, to discover every restaurant in the selection and book an amazing hotel.

Thanks to the rigorous MICHELIN Guide selection process that is applied independently and consistently in more than 45 destinations, the MICHELIN Guide has become an international benchmark in fine dining.

All restaurants in the Guide are recommended by Michelin’s anonymous inspectors, who are trained to apply the same time-tested methods used by Michelin inspectors for many decades throughout the world. This ensures a uniform, international standard of excellence. As a further guarantee of complete objectivity, Michelin inspectors pay all their bills in full, and only the quality of the cuisine is evaluated.

To fully assess the quality of a restaurant, the inspectors apply five criteria defined by Michelin: product quality; mastery of cooking techniques; harmony of flavors; the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; and consistency over time and across the entire menu. These criteria guarantee a consistent and fair selection so a Starred restaurant has the same value regardless of whether it is in Paris, New York or anywhere else in the world.

About Michelin North America, Inc.

Michelin is the leading mobility company and manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences. For more than 130 years, Michelin has made contributions to human progress and to a more sustainable world. Michelin is constantly innovating to manufacture high-quality tires and components for critical applications for demanding fields, including mobility, construction, aeronautics, low-carbon energies and healthcare and offer the finest experiences, from providing data- and AI-based connected solutions for professional fleets to recommending outstanding restaurants and hotels curated by the MICHELIN Guide. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America has approximately 23,500 employees and operates 35 production facilities in the United States and Canada. (michelinman.com)

About Capital One

At Capital One we’re on a mission for our customers – bringing them best-in-class products, rewards, service, and experiences. Capital One is a diversified bank that offers products and services to individuals, small businesses and commercial clients. We use technology, innovation, and interaction to provide consumers with products and services to meet their needs. Through Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment, we provide our rewards cardholders with access to unforgettable experiences in the areas they’re passionate about, including dining, music and sports. Learn more at capitalone.com/dining and capitalone.com/entertainment.

 

For more information, contact:

Carly Grieff
Michelin North America
carly.grieff@michelin.com

New York, NY – July 30, 2024 – In a challenge brought by AT&T Services, Inc., BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division determined that Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC, provided a reasonable basis for the claims that Xfinity Internet is fast, reliable, and “powerful.”

The challenged claims appeared in two commercials for Comcast’s Xfinity Internet service – one featuring NFL star Christian McCaffrey and the other featuring basketball star Caitlin Clark.

The National Advertising Division (NAD) determined that the commercials do not reasonably convey the comparative superiority message alleged by AT&T, that Xfinity Internet is faster, more reliable, and more “powerful” than its competitors.

NAD determined that there is no performance comparison in the commercials, but merely the general statement that “not all internet providers are the same.” Thus, the message reasonably conveyed by the commercials is that Xfinity Internet is fast, reliable, and “powerful,” and that consumers should consider those attributes when purchasing a service, as these attributes may vary depending on the provider.

In its advertiser statement, Comcast stated that it “appreciates NAD’s determination that the commercials are humorous ads that highlight truthful claims about Xfinity Internet service that do not convey a superiority message against all competing services.  

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 – July 29, 2024 – In a challenge brought by competitor Dyson, Inc., BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division determined that SharkNinja Operating Company LLC provided a reasonable basis for its claim that the Shark Cordless Detect Pro Auto-Empty System base “holds dirt and debris for up to 30 days.”

NAD further determined that SharkNinja provided a reasonable basis for its modified claims that:

• The Detect Pro is “30% Lighter than the Shark Vertex Pro.”
• The Detect Pro’s auto-empty feature has “1000x less dust exposure” compared with the manual emptying of a Shark full sized vacuum (model NV130).

However, the National Advertising Division (NAD) recommended that SharkNinja discontinue or modify certain “50% better dirt pick up” claims and comparative cleaning claims vs. other Shark vacuums.

50% Better Pick Up Claims

The National Advertising Division (NAD) found that SharkNinja’s “up to 50% better dirt pickup” claim reasonably conveys a comparative superiority message that the Detect Pro achieves up to 50% better dirt pickup than other competing vacuums.

In the absence of evidence supporting the comparative superiority claim, NAD recommended that SharkNinja discontinue the claim or modify it to make clear that the Detect Pro achieves 50% better dirt pickup when comparing it with the vacuum’s own Boost Mode with Eco Mode.

NAD further recommended that SharkNinja discontinue its claim that the Detect Pro provides 50% better pickup than the Shark Cordless Stratos.

30% Lighter Claims

Dyson challenged several variations of SharkNinja’s claims that the Detect Pro is “30% lighter with the performance of a full-sized cordless.” During the proceeding, SharkNinja agreed to permanently modify future advertising to state that the Detect Pro is “30% lighter than the Shark Vertex Pro” and that the Detect Pro cleans “like a full-sized Shark cordless stick.”

The National Advertising Division (NAD) concluded that SharkNinja provided a reasonable basis to support its claim that the Detect Pro is “30% Lighter than the Shark Vertex Pro.”

However, NAD recommended that SharkNinja modify its claim that the Detect Pro cleans “like a full-sized Shark cordless stick” to clearly and conspicuously disclose the specific “full-sized Shark cordless stick” to which the Detect Pro is compared and the basis of the comparison (i.e., compared in Boost mode based on ASTM F608).

Further, NAD determined that the claim “Take on any spot in your home with full-sized* cordless power in a 30% lighter** frame” conveys the unsupported message that the object of the comparison for both weight and performance is the same vacuum. Therefore, NAD recommended that SharkNinja modify its advertising to avoid conveying that the weight and performance claims compare the Detect Pro to the weight and performance of a single vacuum.

30 Days Claims

The National Advertising Division (NAD) determined that the combined results of two debris studies performed to assess the types and quantity of debris that are commonly vacuumed in homes across the U.S. using cordless vacuums provided a reasonable basis for SharkNinja’s claims that Detect Pro Auto-Empty System “holds dirt and debris for up to 30 days.”

Given the variety of households tested and percentage of testers that collected an amount of debris that the Detect Pro base could contain, NAD found that a high percentage of consumers achieve the maximum “up to 30-day” benefit and found the claim to be reasonably supported.

1000x Claims

Dyson challenged several variations of SharkNinja claims that its Detect Pro Auto-Empty System offers “up to 1000x less dust exposure,” accompanied by the disclosure that the comparison is “based on third-party plume testing while emptying vs. manual empty.” During the proceeding, SharkNinja agreed to permanently modify future advertising so that comparisons will identify that the comparison is based on third-party plume testing versus manual emptying of the Shark NV130.

The National Advertising Division (NAD) concluded that SharkNinja’s evidence provided a reasonable basis for the claim that auto-emptying the Detect Pro vacuum causes up to 1000x less dust exposure compared to manually emptying the Shark NV130.

In its advertiser statement, SharkNinja stated that it will comply with NAD’s decision and take NAD’s recommendations into consideration in developing future 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 (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. 

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

Grounded in LexisNexis’ vast legal research and practical guidance content, following a successful commercial preview, Lexis+ AI is now commercially available in Canada, delivering fully encrypted, secure interactions with authoritative responses in seconds.

Toronto, ON – July 25, 2024 – LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of legal information and analytics, today announced that Lexis+ AI is now generally available for Canadian customers. This follows the successful commercial launches of Lexis+ AI in the USA, Australia, the UK, and France.

Lexis+ AI delivers trusted responses in a familiar, easy-to-use interface that uses an extensively enhanced LexisNexis proprietary Retrieval Augmented Generation 2.0 (RAG 2.0) platform. Lexis+ AI responses are grounded in one of the world’s largest collections of authoritative and exclusive legal content from LexisNexis, including primary, secondary, analytical content and expansive Practical Guidance modules.

Lexis+ AI provides direct links to underlying citable authority in its responses. This allows users to instantly validate results, reducing the risk of invented content, or hallucinations. Lexis+ AI automatically checks all linked citations against LexisNexis’ content to ensure they are valid.

Developed with input from leading legal professionals across Canada, Lexis+ AI has been built to meet the day-to-day needs of lawyers. Chris Figel, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at AirBoss of America commented, “I think of Lexis+ AI as the new gateway to all services in the LexisNexis universe and will use it that way. In addition, it allows me to explore features and functions which either I was not aware of before, or which didn’t exist.”

The solution’s AI capabilities were built internally at LexisNexis with world-leading tech partnerships, enabling the company to rapidly introduce new features and technology and provide customers with a seamlessly integrated experience across the LexisNexis ecosystem.

Lexis+ AI features conversational search, intelligent legal drafting, insightful summarization, and document upload capabilities, all supported by state-of-the-art encryption and privacy technology to keep sensitive data secure:

• Conversational search simplifies complex and time-consuming legal research by enabling users to conversationally interact with Lexis+ AI, explore new insights, and ask for adjusted and refined output.
• Document drafting instantly produces contract clauses and client communications from a simple user prompt.
• Summarization functionality delivers case summaries in seconds with more content and capabilities coming soon.
• Document upload capabilities enable users to rapidly analyze, summarize and extract key insights from legal documents.

 

Lexis+ AI offers industry-leading data security and attention to privacy. Uploaded documents are always purged at the end of each session and users can easily manage or delete their prompt conversation history. The solution is continually improving, with LexisNexis legal subject matter experts regularly sampling hundreds of thousands of AI generated answers, to tune and educate the model. LexisNexis employs over 2,000 technologists, data scientists and subject matter experts to develop, test, and validate its solutions and deliver comprehensive, accurate information.

“This is a transformative milestone for the Canadian legal industry. We take immense pride in introducing a ground-breaking generative AI solution that empowers our clients to thrive securely and confidently,” said Sam Puchala, President and General Manager of LexisNexis Canada. “The enthusiasm about Lexis+ AI underscores its game-changing potential, and we are thrilled to provide our esteemed clients with seamless access to our extensive legal resources and state-of-the-art AI capabilities, fortifying their competitive edge like never before.”

LexisNexis is responsibly developing legal AI solutions with human oversight. LexisNexis, part of FTSE listed RELX, follows the RELX Responsible AI Principles. These require the business to consider the real-world impact of its solutions on people and to take proactive action to prevent the creation or reinforcement of unfair bias.

For more information on Lexis+ AI or to schedule a demo visit www.lexisnexis.ca/Lexis-Plus-AI.

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 RELX
RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. The Group serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 35,000 people over 40 percent of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. The market capitalization is approximately £49.5bn, €56.3bn, $61.8bn.

Media Contact
Lori Harito, Publicist
lori@boulevardofdreams.ca
1-416-523-9602

New York, NY – July 24, 2024 – In a challenge brought by Advantice Health, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division recommended that Dr. Luke Healthcare discontinue certain claims for Dr. Luke’s Fungal Nail Renewal product, including health-related claims that the product treats nail fungus, natural claims, and claims that a doctor recommends the product or that it treats a medical condition.

The challenged claims, which appeared on various channels including Amazon, Walmart, and Dr. Luke’s website, position Fungal Nail Renewal as an effective treatment for nail fungus (onychomycosis).  

Treatment Claims

The National Advertising Division (NAD) determined that Dr. Luke’s claims that its product treats nail fungus are not supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence.

NAD determined that the studies on products with acetic acid were not a good fit for the challenged claims because the composition of the products tested, the dosage, and the mode of administration differed from the Dr. Luke product.

NAD also found that the Food and Drug Administration’s Over the Counter (OTC) monograph regarding 1% Tolnaftate does not support nail fungus treatment claims. Further, NAD concluded that the evidence provided by Dr. Luke regarding the efficacy of the Chinese herb ingredients and the benefit they provide did not support the challenged treatment claims.

  NAD recommended that Dr. Luke discontinue the following claims:

• “Extra Strength Toenail Fungus Treatment for Toenail or Fingernail”
• “Repair Onychomycosis deeply”
• “Formulated to effectively treat Nail Damage. Nail Fungus. Based on Chinese Traditional Treatment Research”
• “Doctor Recommended” 
• “Dr. Luke’s Toenail Fungus Treatment cures nail fungus”
• “Kills fungus, stops itching and burning, restores your skin and toe’s health”
• “Repair & Renew – It can radically repair damaged nails, such as nail discoloration, nail thickening, nail splitting, nail crumbling”
• “Extra strong formula, renew damaged nail faster “
• “It also protects from further damage”

Natural Claims

The National Advertising Division (NAD) determined that Dr. Luke’s “natural formula” claims reasonably convey the message that the product is formulated without artificial ingredients and treats nail fungus through natural ingredients. As the active ingredient in Fungal Nail Renewal is a synthetic compound, NAD found the natural claims to be unsupported and recommended they be discontinued.  

Doctor Recommended/Treatment Claims

The National Advertising Division (NAD) found that Dr. Luke’s imagery of a man in a white coat with a stethoscope conveys the messages that a doctor recommends the product or that the product treats a medical condition. Although Dr. Luke voluntarily discontinued its doctor-recommended claims, in the absence of supporting evidence, NAD recommended that Dr. Luke modify its advertising to avoid conveying these messages.

During the proceeding, Dr. Luke permanently discontinued a number of claims. Therefore, NAD did not review these claims on their merits and will treat the claims, for compliance purposes, as though NAD recommended they be discontinued.

In its advertiser statement, Dr. Luke stated that although it disagrees with the decision, it will “comply with NAD’s 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.

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

Enhancements deliver trusted results and an increasingly personalized generative AI experience, giving customers greater control over their prompts, jurisdictions, and search history

CHICAGO, IL—American Association of Law Libraries 2024 (Booth #604) — LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of information and analytics, today announced a powerful set of customer-driven enhancements to the industry-leading Lexis+ AI^™ that reinforce the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality, trusted results. Based on continuous user feedback, these new capabilities harness generative AI to streamline legal research, provide comprehensive, current legal analysis, and save time so legal professionals can focus on higher-value work.

Grounded in the world’s largest repository of up-to-date, exclusive legal content from LexisNexis, Lexis+ AI enables conversational search, insightful summarization, intelligent legal drafting, and document upload and analysis capabilities in a seamless user experience.

All recent and upcoming enhancements are based on customer-led development.

Usability enhancements include:

• “Stop Response” Option – Gives users more control over the AI assistant’s actions, allowing them to halt responses if they need to make changes to their prompts, which will save them valuable time.
• Default Jurisdiction – Users can now set a jurisdiction as their default jurisdiction, which allows it to appear pre-selected each time they access the jurisdiction panel for seamless workflow.
• History – A new conversation history feature enables users to easily find, review, and re-run previous conversations with the AI assistant.
• Lexis+ AI Uploads Grid View – Streamlines the research process by displaying answers from multiple user-uploaded documents on a single screen for clear side-by-side comparisons and efficient insights.

 

Legal research and drafting enhancements include:

• Lexis+ AI Headnotes – Uses advanced AI technology to provide comprehensive headnote coverage for every case across the entire collection, allowing users to quickly grasp key points of law and easily locate similar cases, ensuring no critical legal insights are missed.
• Shepardize^® Uploaded Documents – Users can run the renowned Shepard’s^® Citation Service directly within their uploaded documents using the AI assistant. This provides access to the full Brief Analysis report, identifying weaknesses in opposing arguments and strengthening their case.
• Shepard’s Treatment Summaries – Enables users to quickly determine if a case is relevant with at-a-glance summaries and seamlessly access the full Shepard’s report.
• Legal News Integration – Direct access to premium legal news content is now integrated into the AI assistant, complementing existing legal research capabilities for comprehensive legal analysis in one solution.

 

Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) enhancements now include:

• Integration of advanced Shepard’s^® Knowledge Graph to the proprietary LexisNexis RAG platform (GraphRAG) – Users can harness the power of highly accurate Shepard’s^® case law relationship information to deliver more authoritative, complete and final AI-generated responses.
• Shepard’s^® Knowledge Graph is a sophisticated data organization framework that allows users to:
  • Precisely identify the most relevant data from extensive Lexis legal sources.
  • Receive complete answers based on connections between related opinions, legal taxonomies, and additional metadata that enhance the quality and context of responses.
  • Accurately verify citations, case connections and legal concepts as validated by the Shepard’s^® Citations Service.
  • Reduce research time and improve confidence and trust through measurably better answer quality.

 

Large Language Models added as part of our multi-model approach include:

• Claude 3 models by Anthropic, hosted on Amazon Bedrock from Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• GPT-4o, hosted on Microsoft Azure OpenAI
• Fine-tuned Mistral 7B, an open-source model, hosted on LexisNexis-managed servers within AWS

 

“At LexisNexis, customers are at the heart of our continuous generative AI development,” said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of LexisNexis North America, UK, and Ireland. “We are rapidly introducing customer-driven enhancements as part of our ongoing commitment to improve the user experience and deliver the most value for our customers.”

LexisNexis deploys ethical, powerful generative AI solutions with a flexible, multi-model approach that prioritizes using the best model for each individual legal use case and enables the company to investigate and deploy new models with unmatched speed.

“We are committed to a diverse and wide set of large language models in the legal space—and the speed at which we investigate new models, experiment with them and deploy them is unmatched,” said Jeff Pfeifer, Chief Product Officer, Canada, Ireland, UK and USA, LexisNexis Legal & Professional. “We are focused on delivering the highest-quality answers to our customers with unparalleled speed and driving trusted results in areas that customers have indicated are their top priorities.”

LexisNexis is responsibly developing legal AI solutions with human oversight. LexisNexis, part of RELX, follows the RELX Responsible AI Principles, considering the real-world impact of its solutions on people and taking action to prevent the creation or reinforcement of unfair bias.

These enhancements are available to customers on Lexis+ AI. For more information, visit www.lexisnexis.com/ai.

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

Acquisition enables legal customers to extract key insights from internal data and combine trusted LexisNexis content and AI capabilities for personalized generative AI drafting experience

NEW YORK – LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of information and analytics, today announced it has completed its acquisition of Henchman, a legal tech company that enriches data from Document Management Systems (DMS) for faster document drafting. Belgium-based Henchman has 170+ legal and corporate customers globally including top U.S. and European law firms and companies.

As previously announced on June 3, 2024, Henchman’s advanced technology enables law firms and corporations to quickly extract insights from their internal data repositories. LexisNexis will combine this technology with its own AI technology, trusted content, and drafting guidance to deliver new, personalized generative AI drafting solutions in products including Lexis+ AI^™ and Lexis^® Create.

“LexisNexis and Henchman share a vision of transforming legal work with personalized AI solutions,” said Mike Walsh, CEO LexisNexis Legal & Professional. “Together, our teams will make it easier and faster for customers to deliver high-quality legal work using generative AI that is grounded in both their internal firm data and LexisNexis content and tools. Customers asked for this capability, and we are delighted to answer. The acquisition will provide exciting new ways for customers to create value for their clients, as well as their organizations, using legal AI specifically tailored to their needs.”

LexisNexis is responsibly developing legal AI solutions with human oversight. LexisNexis, part of RELX, follows the RELX Responsible AI Principles, considering the real-world impact of its solutions on people and taking action to prevent the creation or reinforcement of unfair bias.

Lexis+ AI delivers trusted results with state-of-the-art encryption and privacy technology to keep data secure. Using an extensively enhanced LexisNexis proprietary Retrieval Augmented Generation 2.0 platform, Lexis+ AI responses are grounded in the world’s largest repository of up-to-date legal content which ensures the highest-quality answer with the most up-to-date validated citation references. Uploaded documents are always purged at the end of each session and users can easily manage or delete their prompt conversation history.

The solution is continually improving with hundreds of thousands of rated answer samples by LexisNexis legal subject matter experts used for model tuning. LexisNexis employs over 2,000 technologists, data scientists, and subject matter experts to develop, test, and validate its solutions and deliver comprehensive, authoritative information.

To learn about Henchman and LexisNexis’ ongoing development and be among the first to learn about new personalized generative AI drafting capabilities, visit www.lexisnexis.com/henchman-DMS.

For more information on Lexis+ AI and our generative AI resources for legal professionals, visit www.lexisnexis.com/ai.

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

Organizations can now utilize Nexis+ AI’s transparent Gen AI capabilities to access trustworthy content sources and powerful summarization to achieve faster time to insights

New York, NY – July 17, 2024 – LexisNexis^® Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of information and analytics, today announced the commercial launch of Nexis+ AI™, incorporating advanced generative AI-powered capabilities designed to transform and accelerate corporate research, intelligence gathering and business decision-making functions. Enhanced by more than 700 hours of in-depth customer interviews, Nexis+ AI is tailored to meet the evolving needs of modern businesses. Corporations can now deploy Nexis+ AI’s powerful research, intelligence and document summarization features to find accurate information effortlessly, gain a competitive advantage and boost efficiency.

Trusted for over 50 years by thousands of corporations globally, LexisNexis delivers critical business decisioning information from a huge repository of licensed news publications and corporate data on millions of companies. Nexis+ AI leverages a portfolio of over 20,000 licensed titles, with GAI rights granted by some of the largest publishers and industry-recognized titles such as The Associated Press, Gannett, McClatchy, Benzinga, FiscalNote – CQ Roll Call, and many others. With Nexis+ AI, users can:

• Quickly research and analyze business, financial and legal information and news;
• Summarize lengthy documents and extract relevant entities and data points;
• Compile, organize and share content;
• Create first drafts or outlines of intelligence reports with a few mouse clicks; and
• Derive actionable business insights with speed and precision.

“Business leaders across nearly every industry tell us they need deeper, more accurate insights to better facilitate timely decisions, but they find the amount of corporate data daunting and the process time consuming. Recognizing this, we’ve created Nexis+ AI to accelerate data-intensive research and strategic decision-making,” said Todd Larsen, President of Nexis Solutions. “We worked closely with our customers to develop Nexis+ AI’s powerful tools that help organizations gather corporate intelligence faster and seamlessly integrate into their existing workflows for greater efficiency.”

Publisher IP and Revenue Protection

With the growth in popularity of AI and generative AI tools, publishers and content owners have increasingly focused on protecting their copyright and intellectual property. LexisNexis has long-standing, extensive – and in some cases exclusive – content licensing agreements with publishers. These relationships allow LexisNexis to deliver contextually relevant, Gen AI-derived answers, with direct links to the original source material, to help minimize the risk of AI hallucinations.

With Nexis+ AI’s publisher-first approach, publishers can:

• Ensure their intellectual property rights are respected, knowing that their content is never used to train any AI models without their knowledge or permission;
• Rest assured that their content is presented transparently and in context to preserve brand integrity, with citations taking users back to the source material; and
• Get paid fairly for the use of their content, whether that use is by human or by machine.

Commitment to Excellence
Earlier this year, LexisNexis launched a Nexis+ AI commercial preview program that granted early access to a select number of organizations. The preview program enrolled testers across a wide range of industries and professions, including representatives from large corporates, financial institutions, and six major consulting firms, among others, to ensure further refinement of the platform’s already advanced features and functionality.

“The launch of Nexis+ AI represents a significant first milestone in our mission to provide organizations with the tools they need to accelerate company research and make informed business decisions,” said Dani McCormick, Vice President of Product, Nexis Solutions

Strong Focus on Transparency, Data Accuracy, Privacy and Security

LexisNexis’ commitment to data security and privacy spans more than 50 years. The company employs more than 2,000 technologists, data scientists and subject matter experts to develop, test, and validate its solutions. With data privacy top of mind among corporate executives considering Gen AI solutions, LexisNexis, part of RELX, follows the RELX Responsible AI Principles, considering the real-world impact of its solutions on people and taking action to prevent the creation or reinforcement of unfair bias.

Nexis+ AI also provides transparency and accuracy by design, utilizing retrieval augmented generation (RAG) to enhance the precision and reliability of generative AI models with information fetched from thousands of trusted, authoritative sources.

For more information about Nexis+ AI, please visit https://lexisnexis.com/NexisAI.

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:

Leela Bozonelis, Global Product Marketing Director
Nexis Solutions, a Division of LexisNexis
929-383-8781
leela.bozonelis@lexisnexis.com

Jennifer Johnston, Plat4orm PR
208-989-9962
jennifer@plat4orm.com

New York, NY – July 17, 2024 – In a Fast-Track SWIFT challenge brought by competitor Mead Johnson & Company, LLC, BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division determined that use of a flag image on product packaging for Kendal Nutricare’s Kendamil infant formula reasonably conveys a supported message about the products’ origin.

NAD, however, recommended Kendal modify claims to disclose the product’s country of origin in certain contexts.

Fast-Track SWIFT is an expedited process designed for single-issue advertising cases brought to the National Advertising Division (NAD).

Kendal manufactures certain Kendamil products in the United Kingdom (UK) from milk sourced from the UK and other European countries.  

Mead Johnson argued that Kendal’s use of a blue circular logo with nine gold stars on packaging for Kendamil infant formula and on its website conveys the misleading message that products made in the UK are made in the European Union (EU).

NAD determined that Kendamil’s packaging reasonably conveys a supported message about the products’ origin. NAD noted that the flag logo appears in a context where the net impression is that products originate from the European continent as a whole, including the UK. Moreover, the UK is identified as the country of origin on the bottom of the packaging. 

However, NAD noted that Kendal’s US website displays the nine-star blue flag image without a specific country of origin identified (just references to Europe generally). Accordingly, NAD recommended that if any specific products are referenced in conjunction with statements about the products’ geographic roots and the flag logo, Kendal should clearly and conspicuously disclose that product’s particular country of origin. 

In its advertiser statement, Kendal stated that it is “grateful to the NAD for its determination that the use of the European Flag Icon on our infant formulas packaging is appropriate. We accept the NAD’s recommendation to provide further context when the European Flag Icon appears on the US website.”

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.