A California judge orders Kars4Kids, a New Jersey-based nonprofit, to stop running its widely recognized jingle in advertisements across the state after finding the ads violate California false advertising and unfair competition laws. NBC News reports the judge rules that the nonprofit’s advertising is “misleading,” requiring it to end broadcasts of the jingle-based ads in California. NPR reports the order gives Kars4Kids 30 days to comply by either taking the advertisements off the air or updating them to include required disclosures about affiliations to a Jewish charity based in the Northeast.
Multiple outlets describe the basis for the ruling as a finding that the advertising does not adequately convey information about the organization’s relationships and where money is directed. The Daily Mail adds that the judge considered that most of the organization’s funds go to an Orthodox Jewish nonprofit, while Inc. Magazine states the court found Kars4Kids intentionally misled potential donors through the jingle. The ruling focuses on the content and disclosures in the advertisements, rather than the nonprofit’s general charitable mission.
