A PYMNTS Company

Federal Court fines Energy Watch and CEO over $1 M for misleading ads

By  |  July 13, 2012

The Australian Federal Court has fined Energy Watch $1.95 million AUD for misleading advertising. Energy Watch made misleading representations about the nature of the Energy Watch service and consumer savings that would result from a switch to the service. There were 80 advertisements in the forms of television broadcsts, radio, newspaper ads, website statements, billboards, and advertisements at AFL games.

Its former CEO, Benjamin Polis, was fined $65,000 AUD for his voiceovers in misleading radio advertisements in Brisbane. When Polis personally lent his voice to the broadcasts, he gave “greater gravitas to the false and misleading conduct than if the radio advertisements had been spoken by a voiceover actor.”

Full content: ACCC Press Release

 

Related content: Regulation of Information and Advertising

 

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.