Why did the Oscar organization stop with that practice back in the day?
It's kind of funny. The whole gift bag thing started in 2001 and spiraled out of control in terms of contents. In 2006 they stopped because the IRS declared it was taxable income and the academy thought giving someone an unsolicited gift that included thousands of dollars of tax burden was more trouble than it's worth.
So these wankers stepped up to fill the "gap" and get free advertising by hijacking media coverage of "this year's Oscars gift bags." In 2016 the Academy actually sued these guys due to trademark infringement. That settlement is why they have that no-affiliation statement at the top of everything. But if the press wants to call them "Oscar's gift bags," then they can't control that, wink wink.
It's kind of funny. The whole gift bag thing started in 2001 and spiraled out of control in terms of contents. In 2006 they stopped because the IRS declared it was taxable income and the academy thought giving someone an unsolicited gift that included thousands of dollars of tax burden was more trouble than it's worth.
So these wankers stepped up to fill the "gap" and get free advertising by hijacking media coverage of "this year's Oscars gift bags." In 2016 the Academy actually sued these guys due to trademark infringement. That settlement is why they have that no-affiliation statement at the top of everything. But if the press wants to call them "Oscar's gift bags," then they can't control that, wink wink.