The Federal Trade Fee has sued a California-primarily based gentle bulb producer and its principals to stop them from misleading customers by exaggerating the light output and life expectancy of its Mild Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs. As a part of the FTC’s persevering with work to stop deceptive promoting, the agency filed a complaint charging that since 2008, Lights of America, Inc. has overstated the light output and life expectancy of its LED bulbs on packages and in brochures. The company additionally expenses that Lights of America misled customers about how the brightness of its LED bulbs compares to conventional incandescent lights. Manufacturers have not too long ago begun promoting LED bulbs for family use as a result of they are a better-effectivity, longer-lasting alternative to incandescent and compact fluorescent EcoLight smart bulbs. Though the initial price tag could also be greater, EcoLight reviews effectively-designed and manufactured LED bulbs save on power prices and final much longer than other sorts of mild bulbs. The FTC alleges that in many instances, Lights of America’s LED bulbs produced considerably much less light, as measured in lumens, than the corporate claimed in its promotional supplies.
For instance, one bulb was promoted as producing 90 lumens of gentle output, however Lights of America’s personal assessments showed it produced only forty three lumens. Also, EcoLight smart bulbs in lots of instances, Lights of America deceptively compared the brightness of its LED light bulbs with incandescent bulbs, EcoLight the FTC alleges. For example, the agency claimed that one in every of its LED lantern bulbs might replace a 40-watt incandescent bulb. Nevertheless, whereas the standard 40-watt incandescent bulb produces about four hundred lumens, the Lights of America LED bulb produced solely 74 lumens. Moreover, the FTC complaint states that in many situations, Lights of America’s LED bulbs wouldn't final as long as the company’s promotional supplies said they might. In a single case, for example, the agency said that one among its LED recessed bulbs would last 30,000 hours. Impartial exams, nevertheless, showed that the bulb wouldn't final as long as claimed because it lost eighty % of its light output after only 1,000 hours. In filing the complaint, the FTC is seeking a permanent injunction to stop the defendants’ allegedly illegal conduct, as well as monetary redress for consumers who bought the deceptively labeled products.
The Fee vote authorizing the filing of the complaint was 5-0. It was filed within the U.S. District Courtroom for EcoLight the Central District of California on September 7, 2010 in opposition to Lights of America, Inc.