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Important information

• Advertising Review:

  BBB sent correspondence to CD Technology Partners on December 20, December 31, 2018, January 17, and March 11, 2019 requesting more information about the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center ( https://www.maacenter.org/ ). BBB questioned whether CD Technology Partners and/or the Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center is a center that assists consumers and provides information or a marketing company providing advertising for Attorneys.

  The business responded stating:
  "I provided legal filings where CD Technology Partners is assuming the name of Mesothelioma + Asbestos Awareness Center. They are one in the same. We own and operate the domain maacenter.org, a resource for victims of mesothelioma."
  "The relationship with the Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen is how we are able to operate and make money. If, hypothetically, they did not want to continue sponsoring the site, we would engage with another law firm." 

  The responses from the business confirm that the website is attorney advertising. 

  When using the website to request the free information guide, BBB representative was immediately called by the law firm sponsoring the site, and all information provided was federal expressed by the law firm to BBB representative. No contact was made by Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center and no information or correspondence was received from the center.

  The website also states in fine print at the bottom: "Notice: This website and its content are sponsored by JAMES F. EARLY, LLC, a law firm specializing in asbestos injury litigation. Attorney Advertising.", which should be disclosed in a clear and conspicuous location.

  According to BBB's Code of Advertising:
  1. Basic Principles of the Code
  1.1 The primary responsibility for truthful and non-deceptive advertising rests with the advertiser. Advertisers should be prepared to substantiate any objective claims or offers made before publication or broadcast. Upon request, they should present such substantiation promptly to the advertising medium or BBB.
  1.2 Advertisements which are untrue, misleading, deceptive, fraudulent, falsely disparaging of competitors, or insincere offers to sell, shall not be used.
  1.3 An advertisement as a whole may be misleading by implication, although every sentence separately considered may be literally true.
  1.4 Misrepresentation may result not only from direct statements, but by omitting or obscuring a material fact.
  39. Native Advertising (Deceptively Formatted Advertisements)
  Native Advertisements are created to resemble the design, style, and functionality of the media in which they are disseminated, which could make it difficult to distinguish between advertising and non-commercial content. Native ads may appear on a page next to non-advertising content on news or content aggregator sites, social media platforms, or messaging apps. In other instances, native ads are embedded in entertainment programming, such as professionally produced and user-generated videos on social media. In still other instances native ads appear in email, infographics, images, animations, and video games.
  39.1 Advertisers must not mislead consumers as to the nature or source of native ads they place, or cause to be placed, in any medium, including social media. This includes native ads or links to native ads that appear to be news or public interest stories, but are actually materials promoting products or services. The more a native ad is similar in format and topic to the non-commercial content on a site, the more likely it is to mislead a consumer and require a disclosure to prevent deception.
  39.1.1 In instances where it is not otherwise apparent that the native ad is a paid commercial message, the advertiser must ensure that such material promoting its products and services is clearly and conspicuously labeled as a “paid ad,” “paid advertisement,” “sponsored advertising content” or other similar words that state expressly that the material is an advertisement. 
  39.1.2 In other circumstances, where an advertiser sponsors content that does not promote its own product or service (e.g., a running shoe company sponsors an article on vacation spots for fitness enthusiasts that does not discuss its product), it should consider including a disclosure such as “sponsored by ___” or “brought to you by ___” to avoid confusion.
  39.2 Statements in NATIVE ADS about the performance, efficacy, price, desirability or superiority of the advertiser’s product or service will likely be considered content promoting that product or service.
  39.3 Advertisers should maintain disclosures when native ads are republished by others in non-paid search results, social media, email, or other media.