Business Blog
Cram doesn't pay
Cramming unauthorized charges onto phone bills violates the FTC Act, of course. But depending on the circumstances, cases like that also can result in criminal prosecution. Two brothers who bilked
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Business Blog
FTC staff to Facebook and WhatsApp: Privacy promises prevail
When one company acquires another, there’s usually a lot of discussion about how to harmonize divergent procedures – everything from personnel policies to buying paper clips. But a letter to
Business Blog
Keep FCRA in the foreground when the subject is background screening
When the talk turns to Big Data, part of the conversation is about all the public information available about people's lives – and how companies market it to prospective employers, landlords, etc. Two
Business Blog
Default lines: How the FTC says Credit Karma and Fandango SSLighted security settings
Imagine a burly doorman at an exclusive party. When someone claims to be a guest, the doorman checks their invitation and runs it against the names on the list. If it doesn’t match up, the person won
Competition Matters
A license that is more than a license
Today, the Commission accepted for public comment a proposed order designed to preserve competition after the merger of CoreLogic and DataQuick , two of only three firms that license national assessor
Business Blog
Zero sum game?
For people in the market for a car, an ad on YouTube for Massachusetts-based Courtesy Auto Group featured some eye-catching numbers: “Get behind the wheel of the new 2013 Kia Sorento, now lease priced
Business Blog
Needle and threats
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lays out some pretty clear dos and don’ts for debt collectors. Do identify yourself as a debt collector. Do follow up within five days of your initial
Business Blog
Do you sell health products? Court opinion offers truth-in-advertising recap
Advertisers that sell health products should know the legal standards by now, but to those resistant to the message, a federal judge in California spelled them out again in a $2.2 million judgment
Business Blog
FTC settlement with ADT sounds alarm about deceptive use of paid endorsers
Consumers who tuned in to programs like the Today Show, Daybreak USA, and local newscasts may have caught interviews with guests billed as “The Safety Mom,” a home security expert, or a tech expert
Business Blog
Are your green claims clean? Knock on wood.
Not every building project starts with an ax-wielding guy in a flannel shirt yelling “tim-berrrr!” Consumers have another choice these days: plastic lumber, which is often used in decking, fences
Business Blog
A light bulb moment for marketers
When did a light bulb become the symbol of a good idea? We don’t know, but a ruling in the FTC’s lawsuit against Lights of America – including a $21 million order mandating refunds for consumers and
Business Blog
Less than meets the eye?
When an ad purports to show a “right before your eyes” demonstration of a product in action, the visual must be a truthful representation of what it can do. If that’s not the case, both the advertiser
Business Blog
FTC says diaper claims didn't pass the smell test
What do dirty diapers and deceptive ads have in common? (We’ll pause a moment so you can add your own punch line.) Now that’s out of the way, the action against Portland-based Down to Earth Designs –
Business Blog
FTC challenges TeleCheck's checkered compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act
Whooping it up can be fun, but hooping it up – requiring consumers to jump through hoops to exercise their rights under the Fair Credit Report Act – is illegal. That’s one message businesses can take
Business Blog
15 minutes of game: Getting to the core of the FTC's $32.5 million settlement with Apple
Update (3/27/14): Apple will notify people about how to get refunds by April 15. The settlement requires Apple to provide full refunds for in-app charges made by kids without parental permission. It’s
Competition Matters
Looking for something?
If you regularly use FTC.gov to find cases, speeches, reports or such, then you’ve probably noticed a few changes. We know -- change is hard. But with added features like drop-down menus and filters
Business Blog
8 advertising potholes auto dealers should avoid
In a drive to encourage truth in auto advertising, the FTC has announced Operation Steer Clear – a coast-to-coast law enforcement sweep focusing on deceptive TV, newspaper, and online claims about
Business Blog
When a data oops becomes an uh-oh
We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Glitch Happens. In the case of Accretive Health, Inc., it was a laptop taken from the passenger compartment of an employee’s car. What transformed this
Business Blog
Risky business
No one is sliding across the living room floor in shades lip synching to Bob Seger, but violating the FTC’s Risk-Based Pricing Rule is risky business nonetheless. That’s the message of the FTC’s $1.9
Competition Matters
Un-consummated merger
Today, five years post-consummation, the Commission approved Polypore International, Inc.’s application to sell Microporous , a competitor it purchased in 2008. Polypore was ordered to divest the
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