News Releases for January 2010

January 29, 2010

• For Your Information: January 29, 2010
  FTC Approves Final Consent Order in Case of Pfizer Inc. and WyethFollowing a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order regarding Pfizer Inc.’s recent acquisition of Wyeth, and responses to members of the public who provided comments.
• For Your Information: January 29, 2010
  Mortgage Lender Must Hire Fair-Lending Consultant to Comply with FTC SettlementA home mortgage lender that previously settled Federal Trade Commission charges of discriminatory lending will have to hire an outside consultant to make sure it does not illegally charge higher prices to African-American and Hispanic consumers.

January 28, 2010

• For Your Information: January 28, 2010
  January 28 Roundtable on Consumer Privacy is Second in SeriesThe Federal Trade Commission is today holding its second privacy roundtable, hosted by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law Booth Auditorium.

January 27, 2010

• For Release: January 27, 2010
  FTC Order Preserves Competition in Market for Important Scientific Research Device, While Allowing Danaher to Proceed with Purchase of MDS Analytical TechnologiesThe Federal Trade Commission announced today that it will require the divestiture of MDS Inc.’s assets related to its laser microdissection business as a condition of allowing Danaher Corporation and MDS Analytical Technologies (US) Inc. to proceed with their proposed merger.
• For Release: January 27, 2010
  FTC Tells House Subcommittee it will Help Identify Ways to Strengthen Consumer Protections in the Funeral IndustryThe Federal Trade Commission today told the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce that the FTC will use its expertise to help the Subcommittee address the problems highlighted by last year’s horrific events at the historic Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois.

January 26, 2010

• For Release: January 26, 2010
  Indoor Tanning Association Settles FTC Charges That It Deceived Consumers About Skin Cancer Risks From TanningThe Federal Trade Commission today charged the Indoor Tanning Association with making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning.
• For Your Information: January 26, 2010
  Commission Seeks Public Comments on Carilion Clinic’s Application to Divest Center for Surgical Excellence to Fairlawn Surgery Center, LLC; FTC Approves The Dow Chemical Company’s Petition to Divest its Acrylic Acid and Latex Polymers Businesses to Arkema Inc.; FTC Approves Amended Complaint in Matter of JPM Accelerated Services, Inc.The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comments on a proposed divestiture by Carilion Clinic of Roanoke, Virginia.
  Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved the petition of The Dow Chemical Company seeking approval to divest its acrylic acid monomers and latex polymers businesses to Arkema Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Arkema Group.
  The Federal Trade Commission has approved an amended complaint in the matter of JPM Accelerated Services, Inc.

January 21, 2010

• For Your Information: January 21, 2010
  FTC Releases Agenda for Second Roundtable on Consumer Privacy and More Information for Third RoundtableThe Federal Trade Commission today released the agenda for its second roundtable on consumer privacy issues scheduled for January 28, 2010.

January 20, 2010

• For Release: January 20, 2010
  Mortgage Broker Who Dumped Consumer Records Settles FTC ChargesA mortgage broker who discarded consumers’ personal financial records in a publicly- accessible dumpster paid a $35,000 civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission charges.

January 19, 2010

• For Your Information: January 19, 2010
  Commission Announces Revised Filing Thresholds for Clayton Act Antitrust Reviews;
  Following Review, Commission Decides to Retain the Amplifier Rule;
  FTC Approves Final Consent Orders in Cases Against Six Businesses That Claimed to Comply With an International Privacy Framework;
  FTC Approves Final Consent Order in Matter Concerning Watson Pharmaceuticals and Arrow PharmaceuticalsThe Federal Trade Commission, by a vote of 4-0, has approved a Federal Register notice announcing the revised thresholds for the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act.
  The Federal Trade Commission announced it will retain an FTC rule put in place in 1974 to help consumers compare audio amplifiers by setting testing and disclosure standards for manufacturers.
  Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved final consent orders in the six matters concerning Collectify LLC; Progressive Gaitways, LLC; Onyx Graphics, Inc.; ExpatEdge Partners, LLC; Directors Desk LLC; and World Innovators, Inc.
  Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order regarding Watson Pharmaceuticals’ recent acquisition of Arrow Pharmaceuticals.
  

January 14, 2010

• CORRECTED
  For Your Information: January 14, 2010
  Haiti Earthquake: FTC Warns Consumers to Give WiselyIn the wake of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti, the Federal Trade Commission warns consumers to choose carefully when considering urgent appeals for aid in the news, online, and at social networking sites.

January 13, 2010

• For Release: January 13, 2010
  FTC Chairman, Members of Congress Call for Legislation to End Sweetheart “Pay-for-Delay” Deals That Keep Generic Drugs Off the MarketAgreements Cost Consumers Billions of Dollars Each Year, Delay Market Entry of Generic Medicines by an Average of 17 Months

January 12, 2010

• Media Advisory: January 12, 2010
  FTC Assesses Impact of 6 Years of Pay-for-Delay Drug SettlementsPress conference to announce an FTC staff analysis showing that pay-for-delay deals between brand and generic drug companies are costing American consumers billions a year, and to encourage inclusion of the House-passed pay-for-delay provision in the final version of the health care reform bill.

January 11, 2010

• CORRECTED
  For Release: January 11, 2010
  Marketers of Unproven Weight-Loss Products Ordered to Pay Nearly $2 MillionCourt Rules in Favor of FTC in Case of Diet Tea and Bio-Slim Patch

January 8, 2010

• For Your Information: January 8, 2010
  FTC Approves Final Consent Order in Matter of Panasonic Corporation/Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.;
  FTC Approves Final Consent Order in Matter of Service Corporation International and Palm Mortuary, Inc.Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order on Panasonic Corporation’s acquisition of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
  Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final consent order on Service Corporation International’s acquisition of Palm Mortuary of Nevada.

January 7, 2010

• For Release: January 7, 2010
  Debt Collection Supervisors Settle FTC ChargesNew FTC Video Explains Consumer Rights

January 6, 2010

• For Your Information: January 6, 2010
  FTC Seeks Public Comment on Program to Keep Web Site Operators in Compliance With the Children’s Online Privacy Protection RuleThe Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on proposed guidelines that are designed to help Web site operators comply with the FTC’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.

January 5, 2010

• For Your Information: January 5, 2010
  FTC Seeks Public Comments on Petition of SCI Corporation International for Approval to Divest Cemetery and Related Funeral Home to Legacy Funeral Holdings;
  FTC Orders Buyers of Consumer Debt to Submit Information for Study of Debt Buying IndustryThe Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comments on a petition by SCI Corporation International for approval to divest the Davis Memorial Park cemetery and related funeral home in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Legacy Funeral Holdings of Nevada, LLC.
  The Federal Trade Commission has ordered the nation’s largest consumer debt buyers to turn over information about their practices in buying and collecting consumer debt, which the FTC intends to use for a study of the debt-buying industry. Consumers have reported that debt collectors frequently try to collect from the wrong consumers or the wrong amounts, or both.
  

January 4, 2010

• For Release: January 4, 2010
  Victims of Suntasia Telemarketing Scam Being Reimbursed $14.1 MillionMore Than 356,000 Checks Being Mailed on Behalf of FTC to Consumers Nationwide
  Starting January 6, 2010, more than 356,000 checks will be mailed to consumers who were victimized by a fraudulent telemarketing scheme operated by Suntasia Marketing in Largo, Florida. An administrator working for the Federal Trade Commission will send approximately $14.1 million to consumers nationwide who were charged for one or more Suntasia programs, with the average consumer check totaling about $40. These are legitimate checks, and the FTC urges consumers to cash them.
  
• For Your Information: January 4, 2010
  FTC Approves Two Reports to Congress on the National Do Not Call RegistryThe Federal Trade Commission, as required by The Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007, has approved two reports to Congress: a biennial report focusing on the use of the Do Not Call Registry by both consumers and businesses, as well as the impact that new technologies have had on the Registry, and a one-time report on enforcement efforts and consumers’ perceptions of the Registry’s effectiveness.