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Alcohol Beverage industry members may soon hear from the TTB if their websites do not contain a responsible advertiser statement and other information that is mandatory on all alcohol advertisements.  Industry member websites are considered advertisements subject to these requirements, and recently the TTB has been independently investigating websites for compliance.  If the mandatory information is not present on a website’s homepage, the TTB has begun sending letters to industry members requiring compliance and a confirming response to the TTB.

The federal requirements vary slightly depending whether the alcohol being advertised is beer, wine, or distilled spirits, but in general all alcohol advertisements are required to contain a responsible advertising statement that includes the permittee’s name and address, as well as statements regarding the class and type of alcohol.

Industry members – check your websites and other advertisements and make sure they contain all mandatory information!  If you have any questions about these requirements, the attorneys at Strike & Techel are available to help.

Trademark owners that want to make sure their marks are not used in the newly-established .XXX internet domain have until October 28, 2011, to opt out of the domain.  .XXX is a domain for adult entertainment websites, and was approved earlier this year by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.  The sunrise period for .XXX began on September 7, and runs through October 28, during which time applications are being accepted for adult entertainment industry members to register with the domain (called the “Sunrise A” period), as well as for trademark owners that are not in the adult entertainment industry to block the use of their names on the .XXX domain (the “Sunrise B” period).  A trademark owner that registers during the Sunrise B period will effectively remove its brand name from the list of available domain names.

After October 28th, domain names become available to the general public, and trademark owners that have not opted out are at risk of having their marks used on the .XXX domain.  The cost to register in Sunrise B generally ranges from $200 to $300, depending on which domain registrar is used to opt out of .XXX.  You can find the list of accredited registrars here.

If you need assistance with registering your marks during the Sunrise B period, the attorneys at Strike & Techel are available to help.

Imbiblog is published for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. Copyright © 2011 · All Rights Reserved ·