This New Law Will Protect Your Negative Yelp Reviews
Last week, Congress passed legislation barring companies from retaliating against American consumers who post negative reviews online. Yes, you will soon be able to give one star to bad business without worrying about being bullied or sued .
The Consumer Screening Fairness Act , first enacted back in 2014, removes any clauses in the form of a contract that prevent customers from posting any reviews of goods and services. In addition, it revokes provisions that impose fines or fees on customers posting online reviews, even if the customer is required to waive the intellectual property rights of said reviews. The new legislation allows the FTC to enforce the law and impose fines on businesses where necessary. In addition, the bill protects reviews of all types, including those that are not available online.
Hawaiian Senator Brian Schatz ‘s remarks highlight why the law is so important and why it was passed unanimously by the US Senate:
“Reviews of where to shop, eat or stay on sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor help consumers make informed choices about where to spend their money. Every consumer has the right to share their honest experiences and opinions about any business without fear of prosecution, and the passage of our bill brings us one step closer to protecting this right. ”
The new law has already been approved by the House of Representatives, and now it only needs the signature of President Obama. You can learn more about this at the link below.
Senate Seeds President Law to Protect Consumer Reviews | U.S. Senate Committee on Trade, Science and Transportation via Ars Technica