Unfair Competition

Unfair competition is essentially a deceptive or wrongful business practice that economically harms either consumers or business entities. Federal and state laws are designed to protect the economic, intellectual, and creative investments made by businesses in distinguishing themselves and their products. The unfair competition laws vary somewhat from state to state, but generally it is a term that applies to dishonest or fraudulent conduct by a party in trade and commerce. It's a branch of intellectual property law that particularly relates to the practice of endeavoring to substitute one's own goods or products in the market for those of another for the purpose of deceiving the public. Unfair competition goes beyond the typical “puffery” such as claiming that a product or service is: “the greatest”; “the best”; “the softest”; “the fastest”, etc. At Chicago IP Law, we work closely with our clients to make sure that their advertising and promotional materials are proper and in compliance with the laws. We also protect our clients from competitors in their respective markets that engage in such unlawful conduct.