BCAP Consultation: The Regulation of Unfair Practices in TV and Radio Advertisements - Executive summary

New legislation called the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Practices Regulations 2008 (CPRs) came into force on 26 May 2008.

The CPRs prohibit unfair trading practices and identify misleading and aggressive practices as forms of unfair practice. They introduce legal definitions of unfair, misleading and aggressive trading practices and set out a framework for the assessment of commercial practices that are alleged to be unfair. The CPRs also prohibit specific practices on the grounds that they are always unfair.

Advertisements are a form of trading practice and are therefore subject to the CPRs. BCAP proposes to amend its Codes to ensure that they are in line with the new legal requirements. This consultation seeks stakeholders’ opinions on whether BCAP’s proposed amendments accurately reflect the new legal requirements.