Category Archives: MLM News

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Lawsuit Anniversary: August 9, 2007

    Kevin Thompson is an MLM attorney, proud husband, father of four and a founding member of Thompson Burton PLLC. Named as one of the top 25 most influential people in direct sales, Kevin Thompson has extensive experience to help entrepreneurs launch their businesses on secure legal footing. Recently featured on Bloomberg TV and several national publications, Thompson is a thought-leader in the industry.

    If you received the post via email, there was an error. The letter referenced below was sent in February of 2006, not 2016. I blame the error on a lack of coffee. August 9, 2007: a day that will live in network marketing infamy. Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the beginnings of a wild ride, […]

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    Understanding Unregistered Securities: The Linchpin in the SEC’s Cases Against Network Marketing Companies

      Kevin Thompson is an MLM attorney, proud husband, father of four and a founding member of Thompson Burton PLLC. Named as one of the top 25 most influential people in direct sales, Kevin Thompson has extensive experience to help entrepreneurs launch their businesses on secure legal footing. Recently featured on Bloomberg TV and several national publications, Thompson is a thought-leader in the industry.

      While entrepreneurs and marketers alike are often aware of the FTC’s involvement in the direct sales space, clients largely remain unaware of the Security and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) involvement in network marketing. The SEC oversees the enforcement of federal securities laws. This means the SEC is designed to ensure companies do not offer or sell securities in the absence […]

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      FTC’s Directive to DSA: Times are changing

        Kevin Thompson is an MLM attorney, proud husband, father of four and a founding member of Thompson Burton PLLC. Named as one of the top 25 most influential people in direct sales, Kevin Thompson has extensive experience to help entrepreneurs launch their businesses on secure legal footing. Recently featured on Bloomberg TV and several national publications, Thompson is a thought-leader in the industry.

        Edith Ramirez, chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, gave a powerful speech at the DSA’s Business and Policy Conference in Washington on October 25th.  While some in attendance were expecting a non-substantive speech, the kind one would expect from a high-ranking government official, Ramirez was anything but boring.  She gracefully navigated some very controversial terrain […]

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        Need a Financial Jolt? Get a JOB(S): Part 1

          Thomas Ritter is an associate attorney at Thompson Burton PLLC. His practice area focuses primarily on cybersecurity law, which includes an assortment of data protection and privacy-related matters, and a wide-variety of business transactions. He assists diverse businesses from well-established companies to early stage start-ups.

          The term “crowdfunding” has been thrown around a lot over the past several years. But what does “crowdfunding” really mean? And how does crowdfunding, particularly the recent enactment of rules from Title III of the JOBS Act, relate to network marketing?  At its most basic, crowdfunding is the pooling of financial contributions via the internet for a […]

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          The Federal Anti-Pyramid Law (Summary and Analysis)

            Kevin Thompson is an MLM attorney, proud husband, father of four and a founding member of Thompson Burton PLLC. Named as one of the top 25 most influential people in direct sales, Kevin Thompson has extensive experience to help entrepreneurs launch their businesses on secure legal footing. Recently featured on Bloomberg TV and several national publications, Thompson is a thought-leader in the industry.

            Congressman Marsha Blackburn, House Representative of the 7th District of Tennessee, has proposed the Anti-Pyramid Bill Federal that aims to clarify the differences between pyramid schemes and legitimate network marketing companies. If you’re connected to the network marketing industry, whether as a distributor, executive, vendor or owner, the importance of this bill (or a modified […]

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            Historical Perspective on the Seventy Percent Rule

              Kevin Thompson is an MLM attorney, proud husband, father of four and a founding member of Thompson Burton PLLC. Named as one of the top 25 most influential people in direct sales, Kevin Thompson has extensive experience to help entrepreneurs launch their businesses on secure legal footing. Recently featured on Bloomberg TV and several national publications, Thompson is a thought-leader in the industry.

              Out of all of the topics covered in MLM law, there is not a single topic more obfuscated and misinterpreted than the 70% Rule. This rule has been purposefully screwed up by MLM critics in an effort to craft a narrative that suits their agenda. Candidly, I’m shocked that neither myself nor my peers have […]