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The Federal Trade Commission has adopted revisions to its Rules of Practice, which will enable parties in adjudicative proceedings before the Commission to file confidential documents electronically. Information about the e-filing system includes additional guidance about its new features.        

The rule revisions will be published in the Federal Register on May 6, 2015 and take effect on May 12, 2015. The changes to Part 4 include:

• Removing the requirements that confidential documents only be filed in paper form and be accompanied by a copy on a CD or DVD; that all paper filings include extra paper copies; and that certain other filings be accompanied by a copy on a CD or DVD.
• Extending the deadline for filing electronic documents until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, although the deadline for filing paper documents remains 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
• Adding language allowing parties to administrative litigation to be served electronically in some circumstances, depending on the type of document being served, and providing parties that are served electronically a one-day extension to respond.

The rule revisions also include semantic changes to Part 3, to conform to the changes to Part 4.

The Commission vote to issue the Federal Register Notice announcing these revisions to its Rules of Practice was 5-0. (FTC File No P072104); the staff contact is Josephine Liu, Office of the General Counsel, 202-326-2170.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.