Legal Definitions - aspirin wars

Definition: Aspirin wars refer to a series of legal battles that took place in the 1980s between manufacturers of over-the-counter pain relievers. These lawsuits were all about the limits of comparative advertising, which is when companies compare their products to those of their competitors.

Example: One of the most famous cases in the aspirin wars was between Bayer, the makers of aspirin, and Tylenol, the makers of acetaminophen. Bayer claimed that their product was superior to Tylenol because it worked faster, while Tylenol argued that their product was safer and gentler on the stomach. The case was eventually settled out of court.

Explanation: The example illustrates how the aspirin wars were fought over the claims that companies made about their products. In this case, Bayer and Tylenol were both trying to convince consumers that their pain reliever was better than the other. The aspirin wars were all about the boundaries of comparative advertising and what companies could and could not say about their products.