FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Made Overly Broad and Misleading ‘Made in USA’ Claims about Houseware and Furniture Products

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order settling charges that home products and kitchen wares company Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (“Williams-Sonoma”) made false, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims that all of its Goldtouch Bakeware products, its Rejuvenation-branded products, and Pottery Barn Teen and Pottery Barn Kids-branded upholstered furniture products are […]

FTC Requires Global Suppliers of Animal Health Products Elanco Animal Health, Inc. and Bayer Animal Health GmbH to Divest Assets in Three Product Markets, as a Condition of Merger

The Federal Trade Commission will require global suppliers of animal products, Elanco Animal Health, Inc. and Bayer Animal Health GmbH, to divest three animal health products to settle charges that Elanco’s proposed $7.6 billion acquisition of Bayer would likely be anticompetitive in those markets. The Commission’s complaint alleges that the proposed acquisition would harm U.S. competition in three […]

FTC Sends More Than $16 Million in Refunds to Victims of Bogus Debt Relief Operation

The Federal Trade Commission is sending more than $16 million to individuals who lost money to a debt relief scam that targeted tens of thousands of consumers facing financial difficulty. The FTC and the Florida Office of the Attorney General alleged that a group of defendants known as Helping America Group got people to pay […]

FTC Launches New Online Tool for Exploring Military Consumer Data

The Federal Trade Commission launched a new tool that explores data about problems military consumers may experience in the marketplace. For the first time, data about reports the FTC has received from active duty service members and veterans will be available online in an interactive dashboard at ftc.gov/explore data. The military dashboard, which is updated quarterly, […]

FTC Finalizes Privacy Shield Settlement with Ortho-Clinical

The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a settlement with a medical diagnostic devices and services company over allegations the firm misled consumers about its participation in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework. The FTC alleged that New Jersey-based Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. claimed that it participated in the Privacy Shield framework and complied with the program’s requirements, […]

FTC Order Stops the Marketer of “Thrive” Supplement from Making Baseless Claims It Can Treat, Prevent, or Reduce the Risks from COVID-19

The California-based marketer of a supplement called Thrive, which consists mainly of Vitamin C and herbal extracts, is barred from continuing to make baseless claims that it can treat, prevent, or reduce the risk of COVID-19, under an administrative settlement with the Federal Trade Commission announced today. The FTC proposed order also bars the marketer […]

FTC to Host Virtual Workshop July 13 on Proposed Changes to Safeguards Rule

WHAT: The Federal Trade Commission will host a virtual workshop to seek input on proposed changes to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act’s Safeguards Rule, which requires financial institutions to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive information security program. WHEN: Monday, July 13, 2020, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET . WHERE: The workshop will be held online. A […]

Statement of FTC General Counsel Alden F. Abbott regarding Supreme Court Orders Granting Review of Two FTC Matters

Federal Trade CommissionHeadquarters:600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20580Contact Us Related posts: Phony OSHA Scam Banned from Conning Small Businesses FTC Approves Final Orders In PaymentsMD Privacy Case FTC Puts Conditions on Sun Pharmaceutical’s Proposed Acquisition of Ranbaxy Court Halts Bogus Prepaid Calling Card Claims; FTC Alleges Cards Failed to Deliver the Advertised Minutes

FTC Sends More than $1 Million in Refunds to Victims of Student Loan Debt Relief Scam

The Federal Trade Commission is mailing checks totaling more than $1 million to individuals who lost money to a student loan debt relief scam. American Student Loan Consolidators and BBND Marketing, which did business under other names including United Processing Center, settled FTC allegations that the companies’ operators pretended to be affiliated with the U.S. […]

FTC Approves Fiscal Year 2019 Hart-Scott-Rodino Premerger Notification Report

The Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division released the agencies’ 42nd Annual Hart-Scott-Rodino Report. The report provides HSR Premerger Notification data for fiscal year 2019. Under the HSR Premerger Notification Program, companies report some proposed mergers and acquisitions to the government before they occur, and the agencies identify and challenge those transactions that […]