A Cautionary Legal Tale: The Bose v. Consumers Union Case

Abstract

This article describes the facts of the Bose v. Consumer's Union of U.S., Inc. case, a precedent-setting libel case that involved a technical review of a product, which was litigated over a fifteen-year period, from District Court to the Supreme Court. The litigation centered on interpretation of technical phraseology. The basic facts of the case are described, central legal issues are identified and some speculation about the relevancy of the final decision to other similar future situations is suggested.