FTC Extends Deadline for Public Comment on Riyo, Inc., Proposal for Parental Verification Method Under COPPA Rule

The Federal Trade Commission has extended the deadline for public comment on the proposed verifiable parental consent method that Riyo, Inc., has submitted for Commission approval under the agency’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule. The deadline for comments has been extended to Sept. 14, 2015. The Commission vote to publish a Federal Register Notice extending […]

FTC Announces PrivacyCon, Issues Call to Whitehat Researchers and Academics for Presentations

The Federal Trade Commission will host a conference in January examining cutting-edge research and trends in protecting consumer privacy and security. The event, called PrivacyCon, is the first of its kind and will bring together leading stakeholders, including whitehat researchers, academics, industry representatives, federal policymakers, consumer advocates and others. “We want to increase the FTC’s […]

FTC Approves Application from ZF Friedrichshafen AG and TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. to Divest TRW’s Linkage and Suspension Business in North America and Europe

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved an application from ZF Friedrichshafen AG and TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. to sell TRW’s North American and European linkage and suspension business for heavy and light vehicles to the Tokyo-based global machine component manufacturer THK Co., Ltd. The divestiture was required by the FTC’s […]

FTC Acts to Halt Vemma as Alleged Pyramid Scheme

At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a federal court has temporarily halted an alleged pyramid scheme, Vemma Nutrition Company, that lures college students and other young adults with the prospect of getting rich without having a traditional 9-to-5 job. The FTC seeks to stop the operation, which earned more than $200 million annually in 2013 […]

FTC Seeks Public Input in Review of Contact Lens Rule

As part of the Federal Trade Commission’s systematic review of all current FTC rules and guides, the FTC is seeking public comment on the efficiency, costs, benefits, and impact of the Contact Lens Rule. The Rule, effective since August 2004, helps to promote competition in the contact lens market by requiring eye care prescribers to […]

FTC Seeks Public Input in Review of Eyeglass Rule

As part of the Federal Trade Commission’s systematic review of all current FTC rules and guides, the FTC is seeking public comment on the efficiency, costs, benefits, and impact of the Ophthalmic Practice Rules (Eyeglass Rule). Issued  in 1978, the Rule helps promote competition in the eyeglass market by requiring optometrists and ophthalmologists to provide […]

FTC Requires Pfizer Inc. to Sell Rights to Four Products as a Condition of Acquiring Hospira, Inc.

Pfizer Inc. has agreed to sell the rights and assets related to four pharmaceutical products in order to settle FTC charges that its proposed $16 billion acquisition of Hospira, Inc. is anticompetitive. Pfizer is one of the world’s largest drug companies and principally competes with Hospira in markets for certain sterile injectable pharmaceutical products. The […]

FTC Sends Refund Checks Totaling Almost $175,000 to Consumers Who Bought Deceptively Marketed Supplements to Treat Childhood Speech Disorders

The Federal Trade Commission is mailing refund checks to consumers who lost money buying dietary supplements, Speak and Speak Smooth, deceptively marketed as proven effective at treating childhood speech disorders, including those associated with autism. These are legitimate checks, and the FTC encourages consumers who receive them to cash them before they expire on October […]

Third Point Funds Agree to Settle FTC Charges that They Violated U.S. Premerger Notification Requirements

Three affiliated hedge fund companies and their management company, Third Point LLC, have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they violated premerger reporting laws in connection with their 2011 acquisitions of stock in Yahoo! Inc. The complaint alleges that Third Point Partners Qualified L.P., Third Point Ultra, LTD, and Third Point Offshore Fund, […]

Statement from FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez on Appellate Ruling in the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts Matter

Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez issued the following statement in response to a ruling today by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, regarding the FTC’s case against Wyndham Hotels and Resorts for allegedly failing to reasonably protect consumers’ personal information: “Today’s Third Circuit Court of Appeals decision reaffirms the FTC’s authority […]