Sales Promotions, Contests, and Sweepstakes
A Practice Note examining the US legal framework for sales promotions, covering both consumer and trade promotional activities. It outlines key federal regulations, particularly the FTC Act and state unfair and deceptive acts and practices (UDAP) laws that aim to prevent false and misleading advertising. The Note details legal requirements for various promotion types, including price discounts, free offers, rebates, contests, and sweepstakes, while addressing additional compliance challenges for online promotions, such as data privacy regulations and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It also explores the Robinson-Patman Act's implications for trade promotions, focusing on price discrimination concerns and promotional allowances. The Note offers practical guidance on structuring promotions to avoid legal pitfalls, with attention to potential penalties, consumer complaints, and the detailed state legal requirements for contests and sweepstakes.
Already a Practical Law customer? Sign in
Get access to this document with Practical Law
Why Practical Law?
Gain a built-in attorney network
Practical Law’s resources are written and maintained by over 650 dedicated, full-time attorney-editors globally. They’re highly qualified, having practiced at the world’s leading law firms, corporate law departments, and government agencies, so they understand the challenges you face. They dedicate themselves to creating resources to help you navigate the new legal realities, legislative changes, and practice areas impacting your clients or organization.
See how to leverage the expertise of Practical Law’s attorney-editors to help you practice more efficiently.
Expert guidance
650+ full-time, experienced attorney-editors keep you up to date globally
Total resources
118,000+ total resources across 17 practice areas ensure comprehensive coverage
Timely updates
150,000+ hours spent in 2025 maintaining and updating resources
.png){kind=logo}
