Good News

Well, the Supreme Court declined to hear NIKE in their quest to make it OK for corporations to lie. For those unfamiliar with the case, NIKE arranged to have several films produced emphasizing the good conditions their workers over seas enjoyed. Unfortunately for NIKE, the films were not entirely truthful. They were sued, by Marc Kasky under California Truth in advertising laws.

NIKE chose, for whatever reason, not to contest the substance of his complaint, but to challenge the very right of Mr. Kasky to complain at all. They stated that to expect NIKE to speak truthfully about their product would have a chilling effect on their speech, and they pointed to the political aspects of their films. This argument was rejected by the court, and the Supreme Courts decision not to hear the case means that it is largely a done deal.

Jeff Milchen and Jeffrey Kaplan comment, saying, "Corporations need not be held to perfect accuracy, but allowing corporations to deliberately deceive is a recipe for disaster. The Supreme Court justices need to reverse the decades-long trend of granting greater legal powers to corporations and make clear that the Bill of Rights was written to protect human liberty, not to shield business from accountability."