Are U.S. advertising laws ruining competition? Are they helping or hurting consumers? These questions are answered in the first book ever published to present a comprehensive public policy analysis of advertising law. Using insights from communications theory and economic analysis, Professor Petty analyzes all of the recent reported cases under the principal advertising laws. He examines their tendency to discourage beneficial advertising such as explicit comparisons, and analyzes their potential for protecting consumers from significant injury caused by deceptive advertising.

The book...