The Federal Trade Commission staff has submitted a comment to Massachusetts State Representative Paul Donato in support of a bill before the Massachusetts legislature, which would allow podiatrists to treat not just the foot, but also the lower leg. The FTC staff’s letter to Rep. Donato on House Bill 1869/Senate Bill 1329 states that “allowing […]
Category Archives: Federal Trade Commission
FTC Criminal Liaison Unit Presents Award to USPIS Team Leader Lisa D. Mayberry
The Federal Trade Commission’s Criminal Liaison Unit honored Lisa D. Mayberry, a Team Leader in the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Los Angeles Division, with its 2019 Consumer Shield Award. The Criminal Liaison Unit (CLU) presents the award every two years to recognize a criminal investigator who exemplifies the spirit of cooperation that the CLU seeks to promote. […]
FTC Testifies before House Judiciary Subcommittee On Competition Enforcement and Policy, Including in Technology Markets
In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, the Federal Trade Commission described its enforcement and policy work to promote competition in U.S. markets, including high-priority efforts to address technology markets. Testifying on behalf of the FTC, Chairman Joe Simons highlighted recent Commission enforcement actions to stop anticompetitive mergers and conduct. […]
FTC Stops Student Loan Debt Relief Scheme that Allegedly Bilked Consumers out of Millions
The Federal Trade Commission obtained a temporary restraining order halting an operation that bilked consumers out of millions of dollars by pretending to be affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education and falsely promising student loan debt relief. The FTC’s complaint against Arete Financial Group and several related companies alleged that the defendants used radio […]
Utah Company Settles FTC Allegations it Failed to Safeguard Consumer Data
A Utah-based technology company has agreed to implement a comprehensive data security program to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company failed to put in place reasonable security safeguards, which allowed a hacker to access the personal information of a million consumers. InfoTrax Systems, L.C., provides back-end operation services to multi-level marketers. This includes […]
Dental Products Distributors Benco Dental Supply Company, Patterson Companies, Inc. Decline to Appeal ALJ Decision, Making that Decision Final
After Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell held in his Initial Decision that two of three respondents named in a Federal Trade Commission complaint violated U.S. antitrust laws, those companies have declined to appeal the decision to the federal district court. Judge Chappell held that Benco Dental Supply Company and Patterson Companies, Inc. conspired […]
FTC and DOJ Approve Procedural Amendments to HSR Rules for Foreign Entities
The Federal Trade Commission, with the concurrence of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, has published in the Federal Register proposed amendments that clarify whether a transaction is exempt from premerger notification under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act because the entity involved is foreign. Determining whether an entity is a foreign person or issuer […]
Dental Products Distributors Benco Dental Supply Company, Patterson Companies, Inc. Decline to Appeal ALJ Decision, Making that Decision Final
After Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell held in his Initial Decision that two of three respondents named in a Federal Trade Commission complaint violated U.S. antitrust laws, those companies have declined to appeal the decision to the federal district court. Judge Chappell held that Benco Dental Supply Company and Patterson Companies, Inc. conspired […]
FTC Charges Nevada Company with Falsely Claiming Participation in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield
The Federal Trade Commission sued a Nevada data storage services company over allegations that it misled consumers about its participation in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework and failed to adhere to the program’s requirements before allowing its certification to lapse. The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework establishes a process to allow companies to transfer consumer data […]
FTC Commissioners Unanimously Find that Consummated Merger of Microprocessor Prosthetic Knee Companies Was Anticompetitive; Assets Must Be Unwound
The Federal Trade Commission issued an Opinion and Final Order in which the Commission upholds the Administrative Law Judge’s decision that the consummated acquisition of Freedom Innovations by Otto Bock HealthCare North America, Inc.—both top sellers of prosthetic knees equipped with microprocessors or MPKs—resulted in anticompetitive harm in the microprocessor prosthetic knee market, likely leading […]