FTC Requires Kidney Dialysis Chain U.S. Renal Care to Divest Assets as a Condition of Acquiring Competitor DSI Renal

The Federal Trade Commission will require the national kidney-dialysis chain U.S. Renal Care, Inc., for which Rangers Renal Holdings LP is the parent company, to divest its ownership interest in three outpatient dialysis clinics in Laredo, Texas, as part of a settlement resolving charges that its $640 million acquisition of competitor DSI Renal, from DSI […]

FTC Announces Agenda for PrivacyCon

The Federal Trade Commission announced its agenda for PrivacyCon, a first-of-its-kind FTC event featuring 19 presentations of original research regarding important consumer privacy and security issues by leading academics from universities and think tanks from around the world . The conference, which will take place in Washington on Jan. 14, 2016, will also include discussion […]

FTC Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Survey of Consumers Regarding Their Experiences Buying and Financing Automobiles from Auto Dealers

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on a proposed qualitative survey of consumers to learn about their experiences in buying and financing automobiles at dealerships. The comments will be considered before the FTC seeks clearance for the survey from the Office of Management and Budget, in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The […]

FTC Stops Alleged Deceptive Office Supply Scam That Targeted Charitable Organizations and Small Businesses

At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a federal court has temporarily halted and frozen the assets of an operation that the FTC alleges bilked millions of dollars from nonprofit organizations and small businesses through an office supply scam. The FTC seeks to permanently stop the illegal practices and make the defendants return victims’ money. According […]

FTC Issues Final Amendments to Fuel Rating Rule

The Federal Trade Commission has announced final amendments to its Fuel Rating Rule. The Rule determines the fuel rating that appears on fuel pump labels, how octane levels are calculated, and helps drivers make informed decisions about what fuel to use when they fill up their vehicles. In April 2014, the Commission published a Notice […]

FTC Requires Energy Investor ArcLight Energy Partners Fund to Divest Assets as a Condition of Acquiring Gulf Oil Limited Partnership from Cumberland Farms, Inc.

The Federal Trade Commission will require energy investor ArcLight Energy Partners Fund VI, L.P., to divest its ownership interest in four light petroleum product terminals in Pennsylvania, as part of a settlement resolving charges that ArcLight’s acquisition of Gulf Oil Limited Partnership from its parent company, Cumberland Farms, Inc., would likely be anticompetitive. Terminals serve […]

FTC Seeks Comment on Proposed Changes to Its Jewelry Guides

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on proposed changes to its Jewelry Guides. The Guides (formally, the “Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries”) provide advice to businesses on how to avoid making deceptive claims about precious metal, pewter, diamond, gemstone, and pearl products, and when to provide certain types of […]

FTC Issues Enforcement Policy Statement Addressing “Native” Advertising and Deceptively Formatted Advertisements

The Federal Trade Commission today issued an enforcement policy statement explaining how established consumer protection principles apply to different advertising formats, including “native” ads that look like surrounding non-advertising content. In the Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements, the Commission lays out the general principles the Commission considers in determining whether any particular ad […]

Credit Card Laundering Scheme Participants Settle FTC Charges

Participants in an alleged credit card “laundering” scheme have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they illegally helped provide access to payment networks, thereby enabling scammers to place bogus charges on consumers’ credit cards. “Our investigation didn’t stop with the scammers who took people’s money,” said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau […]

Oracle Agrees to Settle FTC Charges It Deceived Consumers About Java Software Updates

Oracle has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers about the security provided by updates to its Java Platform, Standard Edition software (Java SE), which is installed on more than 850 million personal computers. Under the terms of a proposed consent order, Oracle will be required to give consumers the ability […]