UOKIK has recently issued three decisions that misleading adverts have infringed consumer interests.
- It fined One-2-One for spreading false information in its advertising campaign about the quantity and value of prizes to be won in a television contest.
- It ruled that it was unfair competition for E.Wedel to continue offering products in packages informing customers about a lottery which had already ended, as it could influence them to buy the product when they might otherwise have bought another product.
- It ruled that Aflofarm’s advertising campaign was misleading in a way likely to influence customer purchasing decisions by using a ‘professor and expert in heart conditions’ to recommend dietary supplement products who was in fact an actor.
UOKIK is the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. Each year, it conducts about 30 investigations into practices misleading consumers. These may result in the business entity being fined up to 10% of its revenue earned in the accounting year before the year in which the fine is imposed.
Law:
- art. 24 of the Act of 16 February 2007 on competition and consumer protection
- arts. 3 and 16 of the Act of 16 April 1993 on combating unfair competition
- arts. 4, 5 and 6 of the Act of 23 August 2007 on combating unfair commercial practices
