Hat Company, FTC Settle "Made In USA" Suit

“America’s Oldest Hat Maker” doffs patriotic tag lines

The Spat Re: The Hat

In late January 2018, the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against the Bollman Hat Co. In the complaint, the FTC took aim at the United States-based company and claimed that, despite its frequent use of patriotic ad slogans and made-in-the-USA claims, the company was selling hats that were manufactured outside the United States.

The FTC also took notice of a seal developed by the company that included the statement “American Made Matters,” which the company licensed for other companies wishing to make “Made in USA” claims for their products. The problem, the FTC maintained, was that requirements to license the seal were too easy to make the claim meaningful. Aside from a nominal fee, any company that “had a United States-based manufacturing factory, or at least one product with a U.S.-origin label” could use the seal.