Markets Wired

Commission approval of Federal Register notice – The Commission has approved a Federal Register notice announcing a one-month extension of the public comment period related to its proposal to rescind guidance concerning the current cigarette testing method. As detailed in a For Your Information press release issued earlier this month, the Commission has proposed rescinding its guidance, issued in 1966, indicating that factual statements of tar and nicotine yields based on the Cambridge Filter Method generally will not violate the FTC Act. At the same time, the Commission announced that if it rescinds the guidance, advertisers should not thereafter use terms such as “per FTC Method” or other phrases that state or imply FTC endorsement or approval of the Cambridge Method or other machine-based methods. The original public comment on the FTC’s proposal was set to end on August 12, 2008. The FTC has now extended the public comment period until September 12, 2008.

The Commission vote approving publication of the Federal Register notice was 4-0. (FTC File No. P944509; the staff contact is Rosemary Rosso, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 202-326-2174; see press release dated July 8, 2008.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.

(FYI 38.2008.wpd)