Does Your General Liability Policy Cover More Than You Might Think?

Many business owners assume their Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy only covers “slip and fall” type injuries. But the standard form CGL policy also offers coverage for a variety of claims under what’s called “personal and advertising injury” coverage (often referred to as “advertising injury”).

This coverage typically applies to defend the policyholder against claims that they’ve violated someone else’s rights including, for example, claims for:

Defamation or disparagement;
Copyright infringement;
Violation of privacy; or
Accusations of copying another company’s advertising campaign.

Policies, however, generally exclude claims for:

Patent infringement;
Many trademark disputes;
Trade secret claims;
Certain statutory violations; and
Intentional wrongdoing

It is commonplace for insurers to deny coverage for personal and advertising injury claims. A careful review of your policy in comparison the complaint can make all the difference.