Client Examples

National sweepstakes, consumer goods company

Standard Determination

Client had been writing "void where prohibited" on sweepstakes materials for 11 years. Had never verified where it was prohibited. We found 4 jurisdictions. Three required structural changes to the promotion. One required registration they had been unknowingly skipping for a decade. We do not speculate about what might have happened. We note that they now know.

Outcome: Promotion restructured. Registration completed retroactively where possible. Monitoring subscription added.

Independent musician, digital download promotion

Standard Determination

Client added "void where prohibited" to a free download promotion because it "seemed like the right thing to include." We determined it was void in no jurisdictions. Free downloads with no purchase requirement and no prize component have essentially no prohibition exposure. We issued the determination. The client was briefly disappointed that there were no interesting findings. We understand this feeling.

Outcome: Certificate of Zero Prohibitions issued. Client updated disclaimer to "void nowhere we could find."

Personal application: wedding invitation

Personal Application Service

Client requested that their wedding invitation include the phrase "void where prohibited" as a joke. We processed this as a standard Personal Application. The wedding invitation is void in Quebec (event-related contest provisions), three counties in rural Georgia (old blue laws that technically apply to gatherings of more than 50 people), and, technically, the client's mother's living room (a family ruling from 1987, which we confirmed is not legally binding but felt worth noting).

Outcome: Documentation card included with invitation. The client's mother came anyway.