I think you're talking about the FTC, not the FCC. They actually have a page dedicated to this topic, I advise you to take a look.
https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking#about
MOST of what you said is right, but most of it doesn't apply to Linus. Under "When does the FTC Act apply to endorsements?", it lists some of the possible scenarios where one would, by law, have to disclose whether the product was provided free of charge. Honestly, there's a lot of gray area.
The part I find the most interesting is the last question on the first section. I've copied and pasted it below.
" A famous athlete has thousands of followers on Twitter and is well-known as a spokesperson for a particular product. Does he have to disclose that he’s being paid every time he tweets about the product?It depends on whether his followers understand that he’s being paid to endorse that product. If they know he’s a paid endorser, no disclosure is needed. But if a significant portion of his followers don’t know that, the relationship should be disclosed. Determining whether followers are aware of a relationship could be tricky in many cases, so we recommend disclosure. A famous celebrity has millions of followers on Twitter. Many people know that she regularly charges advertisers to mention their products in her tweets. Does she have to disclose when she’s being paid to tweet about products?It depends on whether her followers understand that her tweets about products are paid endorsements. If a significant portion of her followers don’t know that, disclosures are needed. Again, determining that could be tricky, so we recommend disclosure.
"
Linus isn't a "famous athlete" but its just an example. Same situation
The language here is pretty ambiguous, and I'm not quoting some Youtube video... This is a .gov site, managed by the FTC itself. Plus, we here on LTT should KNOW that he doesn't pay for all this tech... He cranks out a video a day, he COULDN'T possibly pay for it all... We, his followers, are perfectly "aware of the relationship" (quoting what the FTC says), that alot of tech corps send him free stuff. That being said, oftentimes he DOES mention that the product was sent to him by company XYZ, its up to US to catch it.
At that point, Is it really HIS fault if WE fail to notice that he disclosed the sponsor?
Final note: I think we're all forgetting what LTT gives us beyond just tech reviews. As a matter of fact, lets take the "tech" portion out of it. What are we left with?
Incredibly fun, humorous people with an immense amount of talent and dedication toward their craft. Honestly, I feel like they could make any video, and we'd still watch... because they're just fun people to be around. ChannelSuperFun is honestly one of my favorite channels, and I'm sure countless other people enjoy it.
also if you judge a gpu purchase or a cpu purchase or any other big purchase on JUST linus's ~10-15 minute review..... you should know that research is the job of the consumer, not the producer...
I think you're talking about the FTC, not the FCC. They actually have a page dedicated to this topic, I advise you to take a look. https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking#about MOST of what you said is right, but most of it doesn't apply to Linus. Under "When does the FTC Act apply to endorsements?", it lists some of the possible scenarios where one would, by law, have to disclose whether the product was provided free of charge. Honestly, there's a lot of gray area. The part I find the most interesting is the last question on the first section. I've copied and pasted it below. " A famous athlete has thousands of followers on Twitter and is well-known as a spokesperson for a particular product. Does he have to disclose that he’s being paid every time he tweets about the product?It depends on whether his followers understand that he’s being paid to endorse that product. If they know he’s a paid endorser, no disclosure is needed. But if a significant portion of his followers don’t know that, the relationship should be disclosed. Determining whether followers are aware of a relationship could be tricky in many cases, so we recommend disclosure. A famous celebrity has millions of followers on Twitter. Many people know that she regularly charges advertisers to mention their products in her tweets. Does she have to disclose when she’s being paid to tweet about products?It depends on whether her followers understand that her tweets about products are paid endorsements. If a significant portion of her followers don’t know that, disclosures are needed. Again, determining that could be tricky, so we recommend disclosure. " Linus isn't a "famous athlete" but its just an example. Same situation The language here is pretty ambiguous, and I'm not quoting some Youtube video... This is a .gov site, managed by the FTC itself. Plus, we here on LTT should KNOW that he doesn't pay for all this tech... He cranks out a video a day, he COULDN'T possibly pay for it all... We, his followers, are perfectly "aware of the relationship" (quoting what the FTC says), that alot of tech corps send him free stuff. That being said, oftentimes he DOES mention that the product was sent to him by company XYZ, its up to US to catch it. At that point, Is it really HIS fault if WE fail to notice that he disclosed the sponsor? Final note: I think we're all forgetting what LTT gives us beyond just tech reviews. As a matter of fact, lets take the "tech" portion out of it. What are we left with? Incredibly fun, humorous people with an immense amount of talent and dedication toward their craft. Honestly, I feel like they could make any video, and we'd still watch... because they're just fun people to be around. ChannelSuperFun is honestly one of my favorite channels, and I'm sure countless other people enjoy it. also if you judge a gpu purchase or a cpu purchase or any other big purchase on JUST linus's ~10-15 minute review..... you should know that research is the job of the consumer, not the producer...
