What is California’s Unfair Competition Law?
In the early twentieth century, it was common practice for businesses to mislead consumers through false and misleading advertising. Some consumers identified the practice as “baiting and switching” as well as other names. In 1993, the California Legislature enacted California’s Competition Law to protect consumer from businesses that churned profits through false and misleading advertising. It allowed public prosecutors and private plaintiffs, acting for themselves or on behalf of the general public, to file actions against businesses to stop unfair competition or false advertising. Over the years, the Unfair Competition Law was liberally modified, substantially in 1977, to protect consumers from everything from fraudulent, unlawful, and unfair business practices. It was also modified permitting courts to order businesses to turn over all profits obtained through unfair, unlawful, and fraudulent business practices. What is the Definition of “Unfair Competition”? California’s definitio
