The Federal Trade Commission has charged Credit Bureau Center LLC and three individuals with luring consumers with fake rental property ads and deceptive promises of “free” credit reports into signing up for a costly credit monitoring service. At the FTC’s request, a federal court temporarily halted the operation, which has raked in millions of dollars. […]
Monthly Archives: January 2017
Mallinckrodt Will Pay $100 Million to Settle FTC, State Charges It Illegally Maintained its Monopoly of Specialty Drug Used to Treat Infants
Mallinckrodt ARD Inc., formerly known as Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and its parent company, Mallinckrodt plc, have agreed to pay $100 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they violated the antitrust laws when Questcor acquired the rights to a drug that threatened its monopoly in the U.S. market for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) drugs. Acthar […]
In Two Separate Actions, FTC Charges Investors with Violations of U.S. Premerger Notification Requirements
Hedge fund founder Ahmet H. Okumus has agreed to pay $180,000 in civil penalties to resolve Federal Trade Commission allegations that he violated the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act by failing to report his purchases of voting securities in the internet services company Web.com Group Inc. In a separate action, entrepreneur Mitchell P. Rales has agreed to pay […]
FTC Charges Qualcomm With Monopolizing Key Semiconductor Device Used in Cell Phones
The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in federal district court charging Qualcomm Inc. with using anticompetitive tactics to maintain its monopoly in the supply of a key semiconductor device used in cell phones and other consumer products. Qualcomm is the world’s dominant supplier of baseband processors – devices that manage cellular communications in mobile […]
FTC and DOJ Issue Updated Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice issued today updated Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property that explain how the federal antitrust agencies evaluate licensing and related activities involving patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and know-how. This update modernizes the agencies’ 1995 IP Licensing Guidelines, ensuring that they continue to play a […]
FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez Announces Resignation
Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez today announced her resignation from the Commission, effective February 10, 2017. Ramirez became Chairwoman on March 4, 2013, and has served as an FTC Commissioner since April 5, 2010, following her appointment by President Barack Obama. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead the Federal Trade […]
FTC to Host FinTech Forum on Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain on March 9
The Federal Trade Commission will host its third FinTech Forum on March 9, 2017, focusing on the consumer implications of two rapidly developing technologies: artificial intelligence and blockchain. Artificial intelligence focuses on the capability for machines to mimic human thinking or actions, including learning and problem solving. The technology may be used, for example, to […]
FTC Announces Crackdown on Two Massive Illegal Robocall Operations
The Federal Trade Commission today announced a crackdown on two massive robocall telemarketing operations, both of which have been blasting robocalls to consumers on the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry since at least 2012. Many of the defendants in the two cases, FTC v. Justin Ramsey, et al. and FTC v. Aaron Michael Jones, […]
Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Announce Updated International Antitrust Guidelines
The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice today issued revised Antitrust Guidelines for International Enforcement and Cooperation. These guidelines update the 1995 Antitrust Enforcement Guidelines for International Operations and provide guidance to businesses engaged in international activities on questions that concern the agencies’ international enforcement policy, as well as the agencies’ related investigative tools […]
FTC Staff Provides Supplemental Public Comment in Virginia Opposing Health Systems’ Cooperative Agreement Application
The Federal Trade Commission staff submitted a supplemental comment and analysis to the Virginia Department of Health that opposes issuing a letter authorizing a cooperative agreement to Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System. The supplemental comment replies to Mountain States and Wellmont’s October 14, 2016 response to FTC staff’s previous comment, and provides […]