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The Operating Manual was prepared by members of the Commission Staff in 1971 to provide guidance regarding general FTC practice and procedures. It is not a rule or statement of the Commission, and it did not bind the Commission or create any rights, benefits, or defenses, substantive or procedural that are enforceable by any party in any manner. Fed. Trade Comm’n v. Johns-Manville Corp., No. 79 F 643, 1979 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10143, at 15-16 (D. Colo. Aug. 28, 1979) (finding the FTC’s Operating Manual is not a rule and is only informational). Since many parts of the Operating Manual did not accurately reflect Commission practice and other parts have been incorporated elsewhere on FTC.gov, after review, the Operating Manual was withdrawn.
The FTC’s rules of organization, procedures, and rules of practice is available in Title Sixteen, Chapter 1, Subchapter A of the Code of Federal Regulations. (16 C.F.R. ch. 1 subch. A.) Information about the laws enforced or administered by the Commission is available at https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/statutes.