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Every year the FTC brings hundreds of cases against individuals and companies for violating consumer protection and competition laws that the agency enforces. These cases can involve fraud, scams, identity theft, false advertising, privacy violations, anti-competitive behavior and more. The Legal Library has detailed information about cases we have brought in federal court or through our internal administrative process, called an adjudicative proceeding.
Final order settles allegations that Intel's acquisition of Digital Equipment Corporation's assets could endanger the continuing and future development of the Alpha microprocessor, a direct competitor of Intel's Pentium line of computer system components. The order requires Digital to license the Alpha technology to Advanced Micro Devices and to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. or to other Commission-approved companies to manufacture Digital's microprocessor devices.
A consent order permits MacDermid’s acquisition of Polyfibron Technologies, Inc. and requires the divestiture, among other things, of Polyfibron’s liquid photopolymer business to Chemence Inc. According to the complaint, the acquisition would result in a monopoly in the production, distribution and sale of liquid and solid photopolymer in North America. Photopolymers are used to make flexographic printing plates.
The FTC accepted a consent agreement that allowed Reckitt & Colman plc to acquire all of the voting securities of Benckiser N.V. from NRV Vermogenswerwaltung GmbH, while ensuring that competition in two highly concentrated household cleaning product markets is maintained. According to the complaint, the markets for hard surface bathroom cleaners and fine fabric wash products are highly concentrated, and the proposed acquisition was likely to substantially increase the concentration in each market. Under the agreement, Benckiser's Scrub Free® and Delicare® businesses would be divested to Church & Dwight, Inc., which also produces household cleaning products, selling items under the Arm & Hammer® brand name.
The FTC authorized its staff to file a motion for a preliminary injunction to block the proposed acquisition of Doctors Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. On July 30, 1998, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri granted the Commission's motion for the injunction. Tenet filed a notice of appeal in the Eighth Circuit on August 10, 1998. An administrative complaint was issued August 20, 1998 charging that the proposed merger of the only two general hospitals in Poplar Bluff would not only eliminate price, cost and quality competition but would also put consumers at risk of paying more for health care. In December 1999, the Commission dismissed the administrative complaint after the Eighth Circuit reversed the district court's decision and denied Commission’s petition for a rehearing en banc.
A final order requires the divestiture of large titanium stainless steel and large nickel-based superalloy production assets (structural cast metals used in the manufacture of aerospace components) to settle antitrust concerns stemming from its acquisition of Wyrnan-Gordon Company. The order requires Precision Castparts to divest Wyman-Gordon's titanium foundry in Albany, Oregon and Wyman- Gordon's Large Cast Parts foundry in Groton, Connecticut.
A consent order prohibits fourteen Bakersfield, California pool construction contractors from entering into any agreement or conspiracy to substantially raise and set swimming pool construction prices. The order also prohibits the contractors from refusing to deal with owner-builders or home construction contractors or developers.
An administrative complaint charged that Intel Corporation used its monopoly power to deny three companies continuing access to technical information necessary to develop computer systems based on Intel microprocessors. A consent order (August 3, 1999) prohibits Intel, among other things, from withholding certain advance technical information from a customer as a means of intellectual property licenses. The order protects Intel's rights to withhold its information or microprocessors for legitimate business reasons.
Final order settles charges that Sorin Biomedica S.p.A.'s acquisition of COBE Cardiovascular, Inc. would eliminate competition in the United states market for research, development, manufacture and sale of heart-lung machines. The order permits the acquisition and requires the divestiture of COBE's heart-lung machine business to Baxter Healthcare Corporation
Rohm & Haas settled charges that its acquisition of Morton International, Inc. would lessen competition in North American for the production and sale of water-based floor care polymers used in the formulation of floor care products such as polishes. The consent order requires the divestiture of Morton's worldwide water-based floor care polymers business to GenCorp, Inc.