Direct Sellers Update: Regulation, Law & Policy

A federal judge in Arizona recently rendered a 131-page order setting forth his findings of fact and conclusions of law following an 11-day bench trial, explaining why he believed that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had proven that defendants Success By Health (SBH) and various related entities and individuals had engaged in a pyramid scheme, made false income claims, and committed various other violations of the FTC Act. SBH’s conduct was particularly egregious and far out of step with best practices in the direct selling industry. That said, the court’s analysis of SBH’s conduct contained many sweeping statements that the FTC has already begun—and will certainly continue—to wield as a sword against legitimate direct sellers. 

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken yet another step in its campaign against misleading and deceptive claims. Recently, the FTC sent notice letters to hundreds of businesses with a clear warning: avoid making deceitful and/or unsubstantiated product claims or face substantial civil penalties. The notice has significant implications for direct sellers, particularly those involved in the marketing of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, homeopathic products, dietary supplements, or functional foods. Let's take a closer look at the impact of this FTC notice on recipients.

The lawsuits, filed by the Department of Justice, on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission, alleged that the distributors, who styled themselves as “wellness advocates” and touted their expertise as medical practitioners, made numerous claims during webinars conducted in 2022 that doTERRA’s products could prevent, treat, or cure COVID-19.

A year after the Supreme Court’s AMG Capital decision put a halt to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) power to seek monetary relief under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act, the Commission is deploying new tools to seek such relief.

In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) sent letters to a number of direct sellers, alleging that they or members of their sales force had made false or misleading health and earnings claims related to COVID-19. Then in 2021, Congress enacted the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act (the “Act”), providing for civil penalties of up to $46,517 for every misleading claim about the treatment, cure, prevention, or mitigation of COVID-19. And just recently, many of our direct selling clients received letters from the FTC reminding them of the FTC’s authority under the Act.

In April of this year, the Supreme Court’s unanimous AMG Capital decision significantly limited the FTC’s enforcement power by ending its ability to recover monetary damages against defendants under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act. 

2020 and 2021 have brought an unprecedented amount of FTC scrutiny to the direct selling channel. With some companies under formal investigation and many others receiving warning letters, it is no surprise that industry leaders want to better understand what the FTC is looking for and ways to prevent becoming an FTC target. 

The Business Opportunity Rule is up for its scheduled 10-year review, and the results could have a dramatic impact on the direct sales channel.

COVID-19 continues to impact much about our daily lives – from the way business is conducted to how we communicate with friends and family. As a result of COVID-19, companies must adapt to and remain mindful of the shifting environment in which they conduct business. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a complicated and risky compliance environment for companies. That is certainly true for direct selling companies, who remain on the radar of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

A recent paper by members of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Economics describes a new pyramid-scheme hallmark to add to the FTC’s growing list: A pyramid scheme creates and exploits overly positive recruitment expectations to increase the company’s profits. In other words, by misleading potential participants about the earning potential from recruitment-related rewards, pyramid schemes induce participants to join even if they have no expectation of earning a profit from retail sales.

On January 17, 2020, a federal judge in Arizona granted the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) request to both temporarily shut down the multi-level marketing company Success By Health, as well as taking the more extreme step to freeze the assets of top executives. Success By Health is best known for its mushroom-infused instant coffee product “MycoCafe.”

Two executive orders issued last month may decrease the FTC’s ability to regulate industries through informal guidance documents. Because the FTC’s regulation of the direct selling industry relies heavily on guidance, the orders are particularly relevant to our multi-level-marketing (MLM) and direct selling clients. Although any assessment of the practical impact of these orders is speculative at this point, we believe they may affect the FTC’s regulation of direct sellers in a few important ways.