If ever there was an area where a sharp-eyed general counsel could save a company from government penalties, it would be in the vetting of marketing claims about where a product was made.

Consider the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's finalization this month of a $129,416 judgment against the maker of Pyrex brand kitchen products, which sold measuring cups as "Made in USA" when in fact they came from China. The FTC has assessed companies about $6 million over the last year for violating its Made in USA Labeling Rule, though the amounts actually paid are dramatically less.

For example, the commission suspended a $2.8 million judgment against Bryan, Ohio-based ALG Health, a maker of N95 face masks, for inability to pay. Instead, the company was assessed $157,683, last August, after the agency charged the company placed Made in USA labels on Chinese-made masks.