Following the momentum of President Biden’s sweeping competition executive order, the FTC now wants in on the action. In a unanimous vote, the Commission approved to adopt a policy statement calling for more aggressive enforcement against manufacturer restrictions that prevent consumers and businesses from repairing their own products. The policy statement also pushes for more
Often when people think about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) they say to themselves, “well, I’m not a bank so that doesn’t really apply to me.” But consumer financial protection laws are actually much broader and cover all aspects of consumer financial products, any way that consumers bank, pay, or finance transactions and the
Earlier this week, the Federal Trade Commission re-stated its position to the Supreme Court, arguing that there is no “clear legislative command” to restrict the traditional powers of equity. In other words, courts of equity could do just about anything, and since an injunction is equitable relief, an injunction can equal monetary restitution as well.
The continuing questions over the extent of the FTC’s enforcement authority to obtain monetary relief under Section 13(b) did not stop the Commission from filing a lawsuit on November 1 against multi-level marketer Neora, LLC and its CEO Jeffrey Olson for purportedly operating an illegal pyramid scheme that used deceptive marketing to sell supplements, skin
Make a product that could break? On July 16, 2019, the FTC hosted a workshop to examine repair restrictions on consumer goods and the “Right to Repair” bills proposed in a number of states. Panelists included representatives from trade associations, the repair and technology industries, and state senators. The Nixing the Fix workshop discussed some
In making this announcement, AdvoCare disclosed
Last month, we wrote about the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in FTC v. Shire Viropharma Inc., holding that the FTC may only bring a case under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act when the FTC can articulate specific facts that a defendant “is violating” or “is about
The FDA and FTC jointly issued warning letters to three companies selling CBD products online. The letters allege violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTCA”). Although this is the first time the FDA and FTC have issued joint warning letters relating to CBD, the FDA
FTC Chairman Joe Simons recently acknowledged the Commission’s plan to use its authority under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act to examine the data practices of large technology companies. In written responses to questions from members of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee following in-person testimony in November 2018, Chairman Simons confirmed that plans were underway
The FTC recently announced a $5.7 million settlement with app developer Musical.ly for COPPA violations associated with its app (now known as TikTok)—the agency’s largest-ever COPPA fine since the enactment of the statute. The agency charged the app company, which allows users to create and share videos of themselves lip-syncing to music, with unlawfully collecting
