Section 13(b)

Subscribe to Section 13(b)

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…

Law360-ln-mini
On May 17, AdvoCare International LP, marketer of “innovative nutritional, weight-management and sports performance products,” made the extraordinary announcement that it was abandoning its business model. It would no longer engage in multilevel marketing; all sales from here on in would be direct-to-consumer, a single-level marketing compensation plan.

In making this announcement, AdvoCare disclosed

…

Yesterday, Commissioner Christine Wilson testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, and asked Congress to clarify the extent of the FTC’s authority to obtain monetary relief under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act.

The Commissioner’s remarks reflect the agency’s concern over the recent decision of the…

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…