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<subtitle article="gcl" title_number="14" subtitle_number="29" title_name="Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions" subtitle_name="False Advertising and Related Crimes">
  <section article="gcl" article_name="Commercial Law" number="14-2901" title_number="14" title_name="Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions" subtitle_number="29" subtitle_name="False Advertising and Related Crimes">
    <level label="a">
      <text>In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="b">
      <text>“Advertise” means:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>To publish, circulate, disseminate, or place before the public in any way or through any medium for the purpose of selling merchandise; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>Advertising by:</text>
        <level label="i">
          <text>Exterior or interior signs, including neon or other electrical signs;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="ii">
          <text>Radio, telephone, or television; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="iii">
          <text>Newspaper, magazine, book, notice, or any other method or material.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="c">
      <text>“Clear and conspicuous” means in a manner that clearly calls attention to the language, including text that is:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>In larger type than the surrounding text;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>In a contrasting type, font, or color to the surrounding text; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="3">
        <text>Set off from the surrounding text by symbols or other marks.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="d">
      <text>“Digital application or game” means any application or game that a person accesses and manipulates using a specialized electronic gaming device, computer, mobile device, tablet, or other device with a display screen, including any add–ons or additional content for the application or game.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="e">
      <text>“Digital audio work” means a work that results from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds that are transferred electronically, including:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>Prerecorded or live songs;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>Music;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="3">
        <text>Readings of books or other written materials;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="4">
        <text>Speeches;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="5">
        <text>Ringtones; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="6">
        <text>Other sound recordings.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="f">
      <level label="1">
        <text>“Digital audiovisual work” means a series of related images that, when shown in succession, impart an impression of motion, together with accompanying sounds.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>“Digital audiovisual work” includes motion pictures, musicals, videos, news and entertainment programs, and live events.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="g">
      <text>“Digital book” means a work that is generally recognized as a book and is transferred electronically, including a work of fiction or nonfiction.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="h">
      <level label="1">
        <text>“Digital code” means a code that grants the person holding the code a right to obtain an additional digital good regardless of whether the code is designated as a song code, video code, or book code.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>“Digital code” includes a code used to access or obtain any specified digital goods, or any additional digital goods that have been previously purchased.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="i">
      <level label="1">
        <text>“Digital good” means a digital application or game, digital audio work, digital audiovisual work, digital book, or digital code, whether electronically or digitally delivered or accessed.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>“Digital good” does not include a cable television service, satellite relay television service, or any other distribution of television, video, or radio service.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="j">
      <text>“Person” includes an association, firm, partnership, corporation, or an agent or employee of any of these entities.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="k">
      <text>“Property”, as used in § 14–2902(a) through (c) of this subtitle, includes:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>Merchandise;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>Real estate;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="3">
        <text>Securities;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="4">
        <text>Employment;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="5">
        <text>A loan made at interest;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="6">
        <text>Any contract relating to real estate, securities, service, employment, or the making of loans at interest; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="7">
        <text>Anything else of value.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </section>
  <section article="gcl" article_name="Commercial Law" number="14-2902" title_number="14" title_name="Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions" subtitle_number="29" subtitle_name="False Advertising and Related Crimes">
    <level label="a">
      <text>For the purpose of purchasing, selling, or disposing of property or a service, a person may not advertise a statement containing a representation of fact that the person knows, or by the exercise of reasonable care should know, to be untrue, deceptive, or misleading.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="b">
      <text>A person may not offer for sale repossessed, reconditioned, rebuilt, or secondhand property, knowing the property to be repossessed, reconditioned, rebuilt, or secondhand, unless:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>The property is identified clearly as repossessed, reconditioned, rebuilt, or secondhand; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>The circumstances of the sale make it clear to a reasonable purchaser that the property is repossessed, reconditioned, rebuilt, or secondhand.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="c">
      <text>A person may not knowingly advertise for sale property or a service that the person does not possess or control for the purpose of inducing or increasing the sale of other property or service that the person possesses or controls.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="d">
      <level label="1">
        <text>A person who issues, sells, or offers to sell a passenger ticket to board a vessel may not omit reference to the country of registry of the vessel in any advertisement or any other similar printed paper or notice, written or oral, regarding:</text>
        <level label="i">
          <text>The voyage or the ticket that entitles or purports to entitle its owner, purchaser, or holder to the voyage;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="ii">
          <text>The vessel for which the voyage is sold or offered;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="iii">
          <text>The line that the vessel is part of; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="iv">
          <text>If applicable, that the person is an agent for the line or vessel.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>Reference in a printed advertisement to the country of registry of the vessel shall be no less prominently displayed than the balance of the material appearing in the advertisement.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="e">
      <text>A person may not advertise for sale property subject to a ground rent at a stated price or on terms stating the amount of any installment payments without also stating the amount of the annual ground rent for the property.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="f">
      <text>A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or a fine not exceeding $1,000 or both.</text>
    </level>
  </section>
  <section article="gcl" article_name="Commercial Law" number="14-2903" title_number="14" title_name="Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions" subtitle_number="29" subtitle_name="False Advertising and Related Crimes">
    <level label="a">
      <text>A person may not advertise for sale merchandise, commodities, or service through an advertisement describing the merchandise, commodities, or service:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>As part of a plan or scheme with the intent not to sell the merchandise, commodity, or service at the advertised price; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>With the intent not to sell the merchandise, commodity, or service.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="b">
      <text>A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or a fine not exceeding $500 or both.</text>
    </level>
  </section>
  <section article="gcl" article_name="Commercial Law" number="14-2904" title_number="14" title_name="Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions" subtitle_number="29" subtitle_name="False Advertising and Related Crimes">
    <level label="a">
      <text>A person that is a seller may not advertise or offer for sale a digital good using terminology that a reasonable person would understand to confer an unrestricted ownership interest in the digital good, unless, before executing the sale:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>The seller receives an affirmative acknowledgment from the purchaser of the following:</text>
        <level label="i">
          <text>That the purchaser is receiving a license to access a digital good;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="ii">
          <text>A complete list of restrictions and conditions of the license; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="iii">
          <text>That access to the digital good may be unilaterally revoked by the seller if the purchaser no longer holds a right to the digital good; or</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>The seller provides to the purchaser a clear and conspicuous statement that:</text>
        <level label="i">
          <text>States in plain language that the purchaser is buying a license for the digital good; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="ii">
          <text>Includes a digital method to access the license details, terms, and conditions.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="b">
      <text>The affirmative acknowledgment required under subsection (a)(1) of this section shall be distinct and separate from any other statement that the purchaser acknowledges.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="c">
      <text>The clear and conspicuous statement required under subsection (a)(2) of this section shall be distinct and separate from any other statements, details, terms, or conditions.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="d">
      <text>This section does not:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>Require a person to download a digital good; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>Prohibit a person from storing a digital good on a server that can be accessed through the Internet.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="e">
      <text>This section does not apply to a person who advertises or offers for sale:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>A subscription–based service that provides access to a digital good only for the duration of the subscription;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>Access to a digital good without the requirement for monetary consideration; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="3">
        <text>A digital good for which the seller is unable to revoke access after completion of the sale, including a digital good that is, at the time of purchase, available for permanent offline download to an external storage source to be used without a connection to the Internet.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="f">
      <text>A violation of this section is:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>An unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practice within the meaning of Title 13 of this article; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>Subject to the enforcement and penalty provisions contained in Title 13 of this article, except §§ 13–408 and 13–411 of this article.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </section>
</subtitle>