The Federal Trade Commission today announced the following action.

Consent agreements given final approval: Following a public comment period, the Commission has made final a consent agreement with the following entity. The Commission action makes the consent order binding on the respondent.

• The FTC has made final a consent order against Digital Equipment Corporation that addresses the agency's antitrust concerns arising from Digital's sale of certain semiconductor business assets to Intel Corporation. The order requires Digital to enter into or extend certain licensing agreements with Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., or other Commission-approved licensees, and to begin the process of certifying International Business Machines, Inc. or other Commission-approved companies to manufacture Digital's Alpha microprocessor devices. The Commission vote to approve the order as final was 4-0. (See news release dated April 23, 1998; FTC File No. 981-0040; Staff contact is John O'Hara Horsley, 202-326-2648.)

Staff Comment Filed: The FTC staff on July 17, 1998, filed a comment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about the scope of the "treated articles" exemption under the EPA's registration rules related to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The FTC staff noted that the recent proliferation of consumer products containing "antibacterial" or "antimicrobial" agents, accompanied by advertising and labeling claims about the efficacy of those agents may imply a public health benefit. The Commission vote to file the comment was 4-0. NOTE: The comment represents the views of staff members of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection and not necessarily the views of the Commission or any individual Commissioner. (FTC File No. V980017; Staff contact is Michael Dershowitz, 202-326-3158.)

Copies of the documents referenced above are available from the FTC's web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-FTC-HELP (202-382-4357); TTY for the hearing impaired 1-866-653-4261. To find out the latest news as it is announced, call the FTC NewsPhone recording at 202-326-2710.

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