Tronox Limited and Cristal, two of the largest suppliers of the white pigment chloride process titanium dioxide, have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges by divesting Cristal’s North American titanium dioxide assets, thereby preserving competition in the market for this important and widely used compound. The settlement comes after the FTC won key victories […]
Category Archives: Federal Trade Commission
FTC Approves Final Order Imposing Conditions on Merger of Fresenius Medical Care AG & KGaA and NxStage Medical, Inc.
Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Fresenius Medical Care AG’s proposed $2 billion acquisition of NxStage Medical, Inc. likely would be anticompetitive. The order requires Fresenius and NxStage to divest to B. Braun all assets and rights to research, develop, manufacture, market, and sell […]
Statement of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition Regarding Announcement that Republic National Distributing Company and Breakthru Beverage Group have Terminated Their Acquisition Agreement
Republic National Distributing Company and Breakthru Beverage Group announced on April 5 that that they have abandoned their proposed merger. “Staff of the Bureau of Competition and Bureau of Economics had been investigating the proposed transaction, and had informed RNDC and Breakthru Beverage of our significant concerns about likely anticompetitive harm if the transaction were […]
FTC Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century Continue with Discussion of the FTC’s Approach to Consumer Privacy
What: The Federal Trade Commission will host the 12th session of its Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century. When: Tuesday, April 9, 9:00 a.m. – 5:05 p.m., and Wednesday, April 10, 9:00 a.m. – 5:10 p.m. Where: Constitution Center Auditorium400 7th St., SWWashington, DC 20024 Who: The hearings will feature opening […]
FTC to Hold August Workshop on Consumer Issues Related to Loot Boxes
The Federal Trade Commission will hold a public workshop on August 7, 2019 to examine consumer protection issues related to video game “loot boxes”—in-game rewards players can buy while playing a video game. The workshop, “Inside the Game: Unlocking the Consumer Issues Surrounding Loot Boxes,” will bring together a variety of stakeholders, including industry representatives, […]
UrthBox Settles FTC Charges Related to Compensated Online Reviews and “Free” Trial Offer
San Francisco-based UrthBox, Inc. and its principal, Behnam Behrouzi, have agreed to settle a Federal Trade Commission complaint alleging that the company misrepresented that customer reviews were independent when, in fact, it had provided those customers with free products and other incentives to post positive reviews online. The administrative order settling the FTC’s complaint, which […]
Court Rules in FTC’s Favor Against Predatory Academic Publisher OMICS Group; Imposes $50.1 Million Judgment against Defendants That Made False Claims and Hid Publishing Fees
A federal judge has ordered journal publisher and conference organizer Srinubabu Gedela and his companies to pay more than $50.1 million to resolve Federal Trade Commission charges that they made deceptive claims to academics and researchers about the nature of their conferences and publications, and hid steep publication fees. “These publishing companies lied about their academic […]
FTC Joins FDA in Sending Warning Letters to Companies Advertising and Selling Products Containing Cannabidiol (CBD) Claiming to Treat Alzheimer’s, Cancer, and Other Diseases
As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure that dietary supplements and other health-related products are advertised truthfully, and that efficacy claims made for such products are supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence, the Federal Trade Commission joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in sending warning letters to three companies marketing products […]
FTC Sends Warning Letters to Companies Regarding Diamond Ad Disclosures
Federal Trade Commission staff sent eight letters to jewelry marketers warning them that some of their online advertisements of jewelry made with simulated or laboratory-created diamonds may deceive consumers, in violation of the FTC Act. The letters note that in July 2018, the FTC issued updated Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries […]
FTC Concludes that Impax Entered into Illegal Pay-for-Delay Agreement
The Federal Trade Commission announced its Opinion and Final Order against generic pharmaceutical company Impax Laboratories LLC. The Commission ruled that Impax engaged in an illegal pay-for-delay, or “reverse payment,” settlement to block consumers’ access to a lower-cost generic version of Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s branded extended-release opioid pain reliever Opana ER. In its Opinion, written […]