More Information To Be Given In Many Advertisements

Konsumentombudsmannen v Ving Sverige AB (C-122/10)

Ving, a Swedish Travel Agency, inserted an advertisement in a Swedish newspaper offering trips to New York. The advertisement set out the "price from" figure and had various other details. The Swedish Consumer Ombudsman took action on the basis the advertisement was an "invitation to purchase" and should therefore have been accompanied by the mandatory information requirements of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.

The Directive was introduced into English law by way of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulation 2008. Regulation 6(4) states that where a commercial practice is "an invitation to purchase", certain "material information" must be given (to avoid a "misleading omission"), including matters such as the main characteristics of the product, the identify of the trader, the price and the right of withdrawal or cancellation etc. An invitation to purchase is defined as "a commercial