Third-party content provider Jamster! has once again come under fire as an independent U.K. regulator upheld nearly 300 consumer complaints about the company.
Jamster!, a subsidiary of VeriSign Inc., failed to block the publication of a scathing rebuke from the Advertising Standards Authority, which has blasted the company for targeting children and being unclear about its subscription service. The ASA has banned Jamster’s Crazy Frog commercials from U.K. television airwaves before 9 p.m. to keep the ads away from children.
An ASA judge threw out Jamster!’s request for an injunction, claiming the public admonishment was in the public interest.
Jamster!, which sells ringtones, images and other wireless content to U.S. and European users from its Web sites, was censured by the ASA in April after receiving similar complaints. The content provider also is the subject of a lawsuit by a San Diego man who claims his teenage daughter was hit with recurring premium short message service charges after accepting an offer for a “free” ringtone. The girl sent a text message to a short code, according to the suit, only to receive multiple messaging charges for $2 each, with the fees appearing on her monthly wireless phone bill.
Jamster! recently said it will add a feature to its sites allowing parents to block the delivery of content to their children’s phones.
The VeriSign subsidiary is contesting the San Diego suit, which it calls “frivolous and without merit.” The content provider said the recent ASA ruling is “flawed,” and said it will fight the prohibition of its commercials.
“Jamster! intends to pursue all legal means to overturn the ASA’s unjust and unfounded decision about its past advertisements,” said Markus Berger-de Leon, the company’s chief operating officer.
