Consumer Reports has historically had issues with companies quoting their content in advertising and promotional materials.
Here's why and what's changed:

• No Commercial Use Policy: For many years, Consumer Reports (CR) strictly prohibited companies from mentioning their name or using their ratings and reviews in advertising.
• Maintaining Independence: This policy was designed to protect CR's independence and ensure consumers could trust their unbiased reviews.
• Recent Relaxation of Policy: In recent years, Consumer Reports has relaxed its "No Commercial Use Policy".
• Licensing for Advertising: Companies can now pay a licensing fee to use the CR Recommended logo and mention ratings in their ads.
• Restrictions Apply: Brands that license CR content for advertising are subject to restrictions that aim to prevent "cherry-picking" positive quotes while ignoring negative findings. This means companies are expected to include information about any flaws CR found with their products, even when highlighting positive ratings.
• Legal Action for Violations: Consumer Reports reserves the right to take legal action if its content or name is used in a way that violates its policies, such as misrepresenting findings or creating confusion.

In summary: Consumer Reports has been very protective of its content and brand identity in the past, leading to issues with companies using it for commercial purposes. However, they have adapted their policy and now allow licensed use of their content in advertising under certain conditions.