Law label

A law label is a legally required tag or label on new items describing the fabric and filling regulating the United States mattress, upholstery and stuffed article (e.g.: pillows, plush toys, comforters, etc.) industry. Typically these tags begin with a phrase such as This tag may not be removed under penalty of law except by the consumer. Some states require tags on used bedding as well.

The purpose of the law label is to inform the consumer of the hidden contents, or “filling materials” inside bedding & furniture products. The law label was born in the early 1900s to prevent these articles from being further manufactured with contents such as horse hair, corn husks and whatever else a manufacturer could find to use that the consumer would never see. It’s similar to food labeling.

Laws requiring these tags were passed in the United States to inform consumers as to whether the stuffed article they were buying contained new or recycled materials. This was and still is considered important as contaminated, recycled stuffing material could contain lice, bedbugs, or human excretions.^{[citation needed]}

Such stuffed article labelling laws exist in other jurisdictions, for example, the tag required on duvets sold in the United Kingdom, that describe the materials used and the tog insulation rating.

Many mattress manufacturers such as Sealy[1], Simmons[2] and Serta[3] require these tags to be produced in the event of a warranty claim. If the consumer chooses to remove these tags, they should be stored in a safe place along with their Warranty card.

Popular culture

The wording of the warnings printed on some law labels has caused a common misconception in the USA that removing such a label under any circumstance is a crime, prohibiting consumers from removing labels from items they have purchased. Especially contributing to this confusion was that originally, the wording on such labels did not contain the phrase "except by consumer". This draconian interpretation is commonly lampooned. Pee-wee's Big Adventure and the "Wanted: Wade" episode of Garfield and Friends feature characters who are harshly punished for removing a law label. In addition, in one episode of the popular 1970s show, Sanford and Son, Fred finds a tag with the warning label on and misjudges it to mean that if it is removed, he could go to jail. He tears it up and exclaims "power to the people!" This was before the words "...except by consumer" were added. Even the mattress company Serta created a commercial where its famous counting sheep were thrown in jail for an accidental tearing off of the law label, even though by the time the commercial aired, the words "except by consumer" had become commonplace.

A 2007 satirical news story, Fed Steps Up Mattress Safety Tag Removal Enforcement states that penalty for removal of the tags carries a possible 10 year Federal prison sentence and up to a $100,000 fine.^[1]

References

1. ^ drugtestallpoliticians (2007-12-17). "Fed Steps Up Mattress Safety Tag Removal Enforcement". The Spoof. http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i27839. Retrieved 28 December 2010. 

External links

• International Association of Bedding and Furniture Law Officials Organization of state officials who are responsible for the enforcement of consumer oriented bedding and furniture laws in their respective states.
• Minnesota Statutes 325F.31: Bedding to be labeled. Legal requirements in Minnesota for labeling new or remanufactured bedding.
• Minnesota Statutes 325F.28: Material must be renovated. A legal definition of requirements in Minnesota for sterilizing and renovating old mattresses.