January 31, 2008

• For Release: January 31, 2008
  FTC Asks Court to Hold Internet Pagejacking Defendants in Contempt Previous FTC Order Barred Phishing, Pagejacking, and MousetrappingThe Federal Trade Commission has asked a U.S. district court to hold three Internet pagejackers in contempt and order them to give up their ill-gotten gains for violating a previous order barring their unfair and deceptive practices.
• For Your Information: January 31, 2008
  Minimizing the Effect of Malware on Your Computer: FTC Offers Information on Protecting, Reclaiming Your ComputerCriminals are hard at work thinking up creative ways to get malware on your computer, warns the Federal Trade Commission.

January 30, 2008

• For Release: January 30, 2008
  Imbee.com Settles FTC Charges Social Networking Site for Kids Violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act; Settlement Includes $130,000 Civil PenaltyThe operators of imbee.com, a social networking site specifically targeting kids and “tweens,” have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that their data-collection practices violated federal law.
• For Release: January 30, 2008
  Online Advertiser Settles FTC Charges. "Free" Products Weren't Free; Settlement Calls for $200,000 Civil PenaltyAn online advertiser that drove traffic to its Web sites using spam e-mails with misleading subject lines has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it failed to disclose that consumers have to spend money to receive the so-called "free" items it touts.
• For Release: January 30, 2008
  Sellers of “Obesity Treatment” Program Settle with FTC for False Weight-Loss ClaimsSellers of the “Centro Natural de Salud Obesity Treatment” have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they made false and unsubstantiated claims that their product causes rapid, substantial, and permanent weight loss.

January 29, 2008

• For Release: January 29, 2008
  Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to Host Workshop on International Technical AssistanceOne-Day Public Event Scheduled for February 6, 2008, in Washington, DC
• For Your Information: January 29, 2008
  Commission Approves Amicus Brief Filing in Matter of Arkansas Carpenters Health and Welfare Fund v. Bayer AG; FTC Authorizes Filing of Joint FTC/DOJ Letter with Hawaii Supreme Court Regarding Proposed Rules Regarding the Practice of LawCommission approval of amicus brief filing: The FTC’s Office of General Counsel has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in the matter of In re Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride Antitrust Litig., sub nom. Arkansas Carpenters Health and Welfare Fund v. Bayer AG, No 08-1097 (Fed. Cir.). Commission approval of joint FTC/DOJ letter: The Commission, in consultation with the staff of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, has submitted a joint letter to the Supreme Court of Hawaii regarding a proposed rule defining the practice of law in the state.
• For Release: January 29, 2008
  FTC Settles Charges Against Telemarketer that Made More Than 46 Million Unlawful Prerecorded CallsAgrees to Stop Improper Use of Prerecorded Messages and to Pay $180,000 Civil Penalty
• For Release: January 29, 2008
  Dietary Supplement Marketers Violated Court Order in Some of Their AdsFuture Paid Advertising Disclosures Must Be More Prominent and Frequent

January 28, 2008

• For Release: January 28, 2008
  District Court Bars the Sale of Consumers’ Telephone Records to Third PartiesA federal judge has barred the illegal operation of an information broker who advertised and sold confidential consumer telephone records to third parties without the consumers’ knowledge or consent.
• For Your Information: January 28, 2008
  FTC Issues Annual Financial Acts Enforcement Report to Federal ReserveThe Federal Trade Commission has issued its annual report to the Federal Reserve Board on FTC enforcement activities in 2007 related to the Truth in Lending Act, Consumer Leasing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and Electronic Fund Transfer Act.
• For Your Information: January 28, 2008
  FTC Submits Staff Comment to the Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade BureauThe Federal Trade Commission has submitted a staff comment to the Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (“TTB”) concerning a proposed rulemaking on alcohol labeling.
• For Release: January 28, 2008
  Court Enters Final Order in FTC Action Against Florida Debt CollectorsA federal court has entered a final order against a Florida debt collection agency, its principals, and its attorney, settling a Federal Trade Commission action that alleged that the defendants violated the FTC Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) while collecting consumers’ debts.

January 25, 2008

• For Release: January 25, 2008
  Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of FTC in Case Against Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.Upholds FTC Opinion That 2001 Acquisition of Pitt-Des Moines was Anticompetitive

January 24, 2008

• For Release: January 24, 2008
  Online Marketers of Prepaid Debit Cards to Subprime Consumers Will Pay More Than $2.2 Million to Settle FTC ChargesAn operation marketing Visa- and MasterCard-branded prepaid debit cards to subprime consumers has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it made unauthorized debits from consumers’ bank accounts and engaged in deceptive marketing practices.

January 23, 2008

• For Release: January 23, 2008
  FTC Challenges Patent Holder’s Refusal to Meet Commitment to License Patents Covering 'Ethernet' Standard Used in Virtually All Personal Computers in U.S.The Federal Trade Commission today announced a complaint and settlement with Negotiated Data Solutions LLC (N-Data), which allegedly violated federal law by engaging in unfair methods of competition and unfair acts or practices regarding its enforcement of certain patents against makers of equipment employing Ethernet, a computer networking standard used in nearly every computer sold in the U.S.

January 18, 2008

• For Your Information : January 18, 2008
  Commission Announces Revised Jurisdictional Thresholds for Section 8 and Section 7A of the Clayton ActCommission approval of Federal Register notices: The Commission, by a vote of 5-0, has authorized publication of a Federal Register notice announcing the revised thresholds for Section 8 interlocking directorates. The Commission, by a vote of 5-0, has authorized publication of a Federal Register notice announcing the revised thresholds for the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 required by the 2000 amendments to Section 7A of the Clayton Act.

January 17, 2008

• For Release: January 17, 2008
  Online Apparel Retailer Settles FTC Charges That It Failed to Safeguard Consumers’ Sensitive Information, in Violation of Federal Law Credit Card Numbers, Expiration Dates and Security Codes of Thousands of Consumers Compromised
• For Release: January 17, 2008
  Sellers of Alternative Hormone Replacement Therapy Products Settle with FTC for Failing to Substantiate Health ClaimsThe Federal Trade Commission today announced a consent agreement with online sellers of alternative hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products that settles charges that they made health claims for their products without supporting scientific evidence.

January 16, 2008

• For Release: January 16, 2008
  FTC Releases Report Examining Laws That Apply Differently to the U.S. Postal Service and its Private CompetitorsStudy Required by Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006

January 15, 2008

• For Release: January 15, 2008
  Sellers of Hoodia Coffee Settle with FTC for Bogus Weight-Loss ClaimsThe marketers of “Slim Coffee” – an instant coffee product purportedly containing hoodia – have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that their advertising falsely claimed that their product would enable its users to lose significant amounts of weight without diet or exercise.
• For Your Information : January 15, 2008
  FTC, Canadian Law Enforcement Partners Target Cross Border FraudToday, the Toronto Strategic Partnership, of which the Federal Trade Commission is a member, released a paper summarizing the joint law enforcement initiatives undertaken in the last seven years to combat cross-border telemarketing fraud and other mass-marketing fraud.

January 10, 2008

• For Release: January 10, 2008
  FTC Staff Seeks Comments on Credit Freezes: Impact and EffectivenessFederal Trade Commission staff is seeking comments on the impact and effectiveness of credit freezes as part of a multi-pronged approach to combat identity theft.

January 7, 2008

• For Release: January 7, 2008
  Appeals Court Affirms Ruling in FTC’s Favor in Q-Ray Bracelet CaseThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has upheld a district court ruling requiring marketers of the “Q-Ray Ionized Bracelet” to give up almost $16 million in net profits as part of a maximum $87 million they must pay in refunds to consumers.

January 4, 2008

• Media Advisory: January 4, 2008
  FTC To Host Public Workshop on Carbon Offsets and Renewable Energy CertificatesWill Focus on Consumer Protection Aspects of Environmental Marketing
• For Your Information: January 4, 2008
  Commission Approves Final Consent Orders in Matters of Schering-Plough/Akzo Nobel; Budget Rent-A-Car Systems, Inc.; and A&P/PathmarkCommission approval of final consent orders: Following a public comment period, the Commission has approved the issuance of a final consent order and a letter to the commenter of record in the matter concerning Schering-Plough Corporation and Akzo Nobel N.V. Following a public comment period, the Commission has approved the issuance of a final consent order in the matter concerning Budget Rent-A-Car Systems, Inc. Following a public comment period, the Commission has approved the issuance of a final consent order in the matter concerning Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P)/Pathmark Stores, Inc.