Unite States Federal Trade Commission had sued a California- based light bulb manufacturer, Lights of America, for misrepresenting the light output and life expectancy of its LED bulbs. It becomes the first F.T.C. case challenging LED marketing claims.
According to the agency said in a statement, the F.T.C. alleges that Lights of America’s LED bulbs produced significantly less light than the company claimed in its promotional materials, and had made misleading claims about wattage equivalency on product packaging.The firm said that one of its LED bulbs could emit about 400 lumens, but the F.T.C. found it produced only 74 lumens.
In addition,longevity claims on the products also missed the mark. Independent tests showed that the bulb would not last as long as claimed that lasted 30,000 hours because it lost 80 percent of its light output after only 1,000 hours.
According to the F.T.C., Lights of America, which did not respond to a request for comment, has 21 days to file an answer to the suit or a motion to dismiss. The bulbs that are the focus of the lawsuit are sold at major retailers throughout the United States.
