False advertising promises: Reebok must pay millions
Sportswear manufacturer Reebok must pay a sum in the millions for making false advertising claims about sports shoes that supposedly tone muscles. The Adidas subsidiary had advertised the shoes as activating the gluteal and leg muscles.
However, the US trade regulator FTC has now announced that this cannot be proven. According to the information, Reebok must therefore pay 25 million US dollars to compensate deceived customers. The models affected are the "EasyTone" and "RunTone", which used special air cushions under the soles of the shoes to provide "slight instability" when running, which activates the muscles significantly more than conventional sneakers.
"The FTC wants advertisers to understand that they have a responsibility and that their claims about athletic apparel must be scientifically substantiated," said David Vladeck, director of the FTC's consumer protection division. (SDA)
