< class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1075" alt="MLM income claims" src="https://dev-thompson-burton-wpms.pantheonsite.io/mlmattorney/files/2013/07/Multiple-Streams-Of-Income2-300x201.jpg" width="300" height="201" />IntroductionWith the recent buzz of Federal Trade Commission v. Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, Inc. slowly coming to a close, I wanted to write an article to reiterate the importance of proper income claims. Statements regarding a network marketing company’s income opportunity go to the heart of the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) mission to extinguish deceptive, unfair, or unsubstantiated claims made by a company and its distributors. And let’s be honest here, it’s not the distributors’ fault. The majority of income claims made by a distributor are more likely than not truthful statements, but the FTC is not JUST concerned with the truth. Promises of riches and an opportunity to live the American Dream can cloud even the most reasonable person’s judgment. With this in mind, the FTC wants to ensure that all potential distributors make a fully informed decision before choosing to join an MLM program.In this article, we discuss the legality of income claims made by MLMs and their distributors while using the recent Fortune Hi-Tech (“FHTM”) case as a framework. In Part 2 of this series, we'll use what we learn in this article to help develop solutions that meet the FTC’s requirements.What Was All the Fuss About?Among other reasons in its case against FHTM, the FTC alleged that FHTM's distributors misrepresented the income opportunity. Specifically, the FTC argued that FHTM violated Section 5(a) of the FTC Act which prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce” by misrepresenting or omitting material facts in its income claims. In my opinion, the FTC’s argument about FHTM operating as a pyramid was weak. There’s not much to be learned there. But there’s a lot that can be learned by analyzing its argument regarding improper income claims. The FTC based its allegations off of recorded video and audio presentations, pictures on social media networks, and Twitter posts uploaded by various distributors. These facts underscore the importance of properly educating distributors on how to make clean product and MLM income claims online.Examples cited by the FTC include the following:Recorded Video Presentations

• The FTC alleged one distributor claimed in a recorded video presentation on her Vimeo website dedicated to her FHTM business that “four months into the business [with FHTM]… I had actually quadrupled what I have ever made as a Registered Nurse.”

• The FTC alleged a distributor claimed on her Vimeo site that distributors who reach the National or Executive Sales Manager levels “are making thirty-, forty-, sixty-, seventy-thousand a month.”

• The FTC alleged distributors frequently made lifestyle claims, such as highlighting extended family vacations to exotic locations, driving nice cars, and purchasing large homes with luxurious amenities.

Recorded Audio Presentations

• The FTC alleged a recorded conference call posted on distributor’s team website stated that another distributor earned over $50,000 in his sixth month with the company alone and that he “earned millions and millions beyond that” in subsequent years.

• Regarding another conference call, the FTC alleged a distributor posted on his team’s website that another distributor was earning “over $100,000 a month” after three years with the company.

Twitter

• The FTC alleged a distributor posted on her Twitter account about a recruiting meeting, encouraging people to “Bring ur friends & learn how 2 make $100k aYR.”

Facebook Photos

• The FTC alleged that at a national convention, 30 top earners were called to the stage to be presented with a mock check for $64 million to represent the amount of money they earned with the company. Several distributors later shared a photo of the presentation on social networking sites.

Sound familiar? No matter how long you have been involved in the network marketing industry, chances are you’ve heard claims similar to the examples above on a regular basis. I’m not trying to point any fingers at distributors. The statements referenced above could potentially all be true. The key is whether those distributors shared legally sufficient income disclosures to the prospects immediately after making the claims. When it comes to these income disclosures, the FTC preferences are confusing and they require a lot from all marketers. In most cases, distributors are simply unaware of how to promote their opportunities appropriately. That’s just the nature of the beast, and it all ties back to compliance training. It’s important to understand the FTC’s top priority is ensuring income claims are adequate. With that being said, the best place to start when learning how to play a game is studying the rules.The Rules of the GameThe FTC used the following legal argument to make its case against FHTM:Any income claim that is considered to be deceptive needs a disclosure. The FTC considers an income claim deceptive where information that would affect a reasonable consumer’s judgment is misrepresented or omitted.[1] There is a presumption that all information regarding earning potentials affect consumer’s judgment, even when you do not guarantee they will make any money.[2] Out of those claims, it is also presumed to be reasonable for consumers to rely on statements you expressly make,[3] regardless of whether you tell them making “big money” is a sure thing or not.[4] In other words, all income claims that are atypical need adequate disclosures.The FTC says that any income claim made is regarded as what consumers will “general[ly achieve . . . .”[5] In other words, what you represent as potential money to a prospect is what a reasonable prospect will expect to earn. IF YOU LACK SUBSTANTIATION (aka, you have no proof) that the majority of your distributors earn the amount represented by a few high earners, you must give a clear and conspicuous disclosure indicating exactly the percentage of distributors who earn at least the amount you represented.[6] And you must also disclose the average earnings. If you’re a distributor that’s working with a particular company, if they do not provide adequate income disclosures, DO NOT MAKE INCOME CLAIMS. The pressure is on them to provide the data.ConclusionIf you are the motivated (or self-burdening) type, I’d like to challenge you with a little homework project. Look at the examples cited by the FTC against FHTM above and determine what type of disclosure is necessary using the rules we discussed in this article. In our next installment, we’ll discuss our own solutions and ideas for the proper ways to make income claims.Click here to read part 2 of this series.[1] See FTC v. Bay Area Bus Council, Inc., 423 F.3d 627, 635 (7th Cir. 2005); FTC v. World Media Brokers, 415 F.3d 758, 763 (7th Cir. 2005); Kraft, Inc. v. FTC, 970 F.2d 311, 322 (7th Cir. 1992), cert. denied, 507 U.S. 909 (1993); FTC v. QT, Inc., 448 F. Supp. 2d 908, 957 (N.D. Ill. 2006).[2] FTC v. Febre, No. 94 C 3625, 1996 WL 396117, at *2 (N.D. Ill. July 3, 1996) (conditional earnings claims would be understood to represent typical or average earnings and are therefore deceptive).[3] See World Travel Vacation Brokers, 861 F.2d 1020, 1029 (7th Cir. 1988).[4] FTC v. Five Star Auto Club, Inc., 97 F. Supp. 2d 502, 528 (S.D.N.Y. 2000).[5] 16 C.F.R. § 255.2(b) (Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising); see also In re Cliffdale Assoc., Inc., 103 F.T.C 110, 173 (1984), 1984 WL 565319 (F.T.C.), at *16 (testimonials presumed to represent typical experiences).[6] In re Nat’l Dynamics, 85 F.T.C. 1052 (1975).by +Kevin Thompson