Textile Fiber Products Identification Act
- Citation
- 15 U.S.C. 70-70k
- Jurisdiction
- US
- Made by
- Federal Trade Commission
- Instrument
- Act
- Status
- In force
What it requires (5 obligations)
The introduction, delivery for introduction, manufacture for introduction, sale, advertising or offering for sale in commerce, the transportation or causing to be transported in commerce, or the importation into the United States, of any textile fiber product that is misbranded or falsely or deceptively advertised is unlawful, and is an unfair method of competition and an unfair and deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act.
No date set Confirmed In force, dates fixed in published law
- Who it falls on
- Manufacturers, importers and sellers
- Products
- Textiles, apparel, home textiles
- Markets
- US
Advertising is named in the same breath as sale, so a fibre claim made in a catalogue carries the same exposure as one made on a label.
Drafted from section 70a(a).
A textile fiber product is misbranded unless a stamp, tag or label affixed to it shows, in plainly legible words and figures, each natural or manufactured fibre by its generic name with equal prominence and in order of predominance by weight, for every fibre that is 5 per cent or more of the total fibre weight. A fibre or group of fibres present at 5 per cent or less by weight may not be designated by generic name or trademark and is designated only as "other fiber" or "other fibers", unless it has a clearly established and definite functional significance at the amount present.
No date set Confirmed In force, dates fixed in published law
- Who it falls on
- Manufacturers, importers and sellers
- Products
- Textiles, apparel, home textiles
- Markets
- US
The 5 per cent threshold is statutory, not a rule of the Commission, and it cuts both ways: a minor fibre may not be named, which is a prohibition rather than a permission. The functional-significance carve-out is what allows a small percentage of elastane to be declared. A nondeceptive trademark may accompany the generic name but not replace it.
Drafted from section 70b(b)(1).
The label also shows the percentage of each fibre present by weight of the total fibre content, exclusive of ornamentation not exceeding 5 per cent by weight of the total fibre content.
No date set Confirmed In force, dates fixed in published law
- Who it falls on
- Manufacturers, importers and sellers
- Products
- Textiles, apparel, home textiles
- Markets
- US
Two separate 5 per cent figures sit in the same subsection and are not the same test: one is the disclosure threshold for a constituent fibre, the other is how much ornamentation may be left out of the denominator. A record that conflates them will compute the wrong percentages.
Drafted from section 70b(b)(2).
The label also shows the name of the manufacturer, or an identification issued and registered by the Commission; for an imported product, the name of the country where it was processed or manufactured; and for a product processed or manufactured in the United States, an identification to that effect.
No date set Confirmed In force, dates fixed in published law
- Who it falls on
- Manufacturers, importers and sellers
- Products
- Textiles, apparel, home textiles
- Markets
- US
The Commission-issued identification is the RN number, which the statute permits in place of a name. Country of origin is required of an imported product and a positive US identification of a domestic one, so silence is not an option in either direction.
Drafted from section 70b(b)(3) to (5).
A textile fiber product is falsely or deceptively advertised if any written advertisement used to aid or promote its sale discloses or implies fibre content without carrying the same information required on the label.
No date set Confirmed In force, dates fixed in published law
- Who it falls on
- Manufacturers, importers and sellers
- Products
- Textiles, apparel, home textiles
- Markets
- US
The trigger is an implication of fibre content, not a stated percentage, so a description that merely suggests a fibre pulls the full disclosure with it.
Drafted from section 70b(c).
This is a register, not advice. It records what an instrument says and when it applies. Whether it applies to a particular company, product or shipment is a question for somebody who knows that business, and the answer is frequently not what the summary above would suggest.
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