Do you have something to say about jewelry and how it’s marketed? If so, the Federal Trade Commission wants to hear from you, and is extending the deadline for filing public comments on the agency’s Jewelry Guides. The Guides (formally, the “Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries”) explain to businesses how to […]
Monthly Archives: August 2012
FTC Tells Consumers They May Be Due a Refund If They Purchased Disney- or Marvel Hero-themed Children’s Vitamins
Have you purchased Disney- or Marvel Hero-themed vitamins for your kids during the last few years – vitamins that featured characters such as the Disney Princesses, Winnie the Pooh, Finding Nemo, and Spider-Man? If so, the Federal Trade Commission wants you to know that you may be due a refund. The FTC is providing these […]
FTC Seeks Public Comments on Proposed Amendments to the Premerger Notification Rules Related to the Transfer of Exclusive Patent Rights in the Pharmaceutical Industry
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comments on proposed changes to the premerger notification rules that could require companies in the pharmaceutical industry to report proposed acquisitions of exclusive patent rights to the FTC and the Department of Justice for antitrust review. The proposed rulemaking clarifies when a transfer of exclusive rights to a […]
FTC Files Amicus Brief Explaining That “No-AG” Agreements Are Used by Drug Companies to Delay Generic Competition
The Federal Trade Commission filed an amicus brief before the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey explaining that an agreement by a branded company not to launch an authorized generic (AG) drug is a “convenient method” for branded drug firms to pay generic patent challengers to delay their entry into the market. […]
FTC Approves Final Settlement With Facebook
Following a public comment period, the FTC has accepted as final a settlement with Facebook resolving charges that Facebook deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public. The settlement requires Facebook to take several steps to make sure it […]
FTC Names Agency’s New Inspector General
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz today announced that Scott E. Wilson will join the agency from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing on August 13, 2012, and will serve as Inspector General. “We are pleased to welcome Scott to the FTC. I’m sure that the knowledge and experience he brings will […]
FTC Sends Refunds to Consumers Lured by Money-Making Scam
The Federal Trade Commission is mailing 9,282 refund checks to consumers who were deceived by false promises that they could earn substantial income if they bought and followed the “Stefanchik Program” to buy and sell privately held promissory notes and mortgages. The FTC alleged that claims made by John Stefanchik and his company, Beringer Corporation, […]
FTC to Host Telephone Press Conference to Respond to Questions About the FTCs $22.5 million Settlement with Google
MEDIA ADVISORY MEDIA ADVISORY MEDIA ADVISORY Media Advisory August 9, 2012 WHAT: Telephone Press Conference to respond to questions about the FTC’s $22.5 million settlement with Google. WHO: David Vladeck, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection James Kohm, Associate Director for Enforcement Federal Trade Commission WHEN: Thursday, August 9, 2012; 11:30 a.m. Reporters who wish to […]
FTC Sends Refunds to Consumers Allegedly Deceived by First Universal Lending Mortgage Loan Modification Scheme
The Federal Trade Commission mailed more than 13,000 refund checks to consumers who were allegedly deceived by a company that claimed it would negotiate with lenders to modify the consumers’ mortgages and make them more affordable. To resolve FTC charges, First Universal Lending and its owners agreed to an order banning them from the mortgage […]
Google Will Pay $22.5 Million to Settle FTC Charges it Misrepresented Privacy Assurances to Users of Apple’s Safari Internet Browser
Google Inc. has agreed to pay a record $22.5 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it misrepresented to users of Apple Inc.’s Safari Internet browser that it would not place tracking “cookies” or serve targeted ads to those users, violating an earlier privacy settlement between the company and the FTC. The […]