Australian consumer regulator sues Samsung alleging misleading advertising

Australia's competition regulator said on Thursday that it had launched a lawsuit against the local unit of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, alleging it misled consumers by promoting its Galaxy smartphones as water resistant.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said that since around February 2016 Samsung advertisements depicted the phones as suitable for use in oceans and pools.

“The ACCC alleges Samsung’s advertisements falsely and misleadingly represented Galaxy phones would be suitable for use in, or for exposure to, all types of water...when this was not the case,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement.