MilConsumer Blog Feed

Marriott International, Inc. has long highlighted core values of putting people first, pursuing excellence, acting with integrity, and serving the world. Today, the FTC and Attorneys General from 49 states and D.C. are jointly announcing an action that suggests the company may want to add a fifth value to that list: protecting customer data and privacy. According to today’s proposed complaint, Marriott International, Inc. and its subsidiary...

Mark your calendar for February 25, 2025, when the FTC will convene “The Attention Economy: Monopolizing Kids’ Time Online.” This virtual workshop will consider the use of design features that keep kids, including teens, online longer and coming back more frequently. Researchers, technologists, child development and legal experts, consumer advocates, and industry professionals will discuss design features that keep kids engaged on digital...

A lot has changed since 1975: the invention of the internet, cellphones, and widespread availability of solar panels, just to name a few. But the important consumer protections of the Trade Regulation Rule Concerning Preservation of Consumers’ Claims and Defenses (aka the Holder Rule) are as relevant today as they were when the Rule became effective in its entirety in 1976. And there are good reasons for that.

Maybe you grew up daydreaming about artificial intelligence, or AI. You imagined its potential to change the future, possibly with an army of helpful robots to take on your least favorite human tasks. The Star Wars franchise had R2-D2. The Jetsons had Rosey. There was RoboCop. And when everything else was gone, the world had WALL-E, the stoic trash collector looking for love. Now, as a business owner, you’re always watching for the next big...

Are you a landlord? Work for a property management company? Or in the rental sector? Here’s a $48 million reminder to obey the law: the FTC’s settlement with Invitation Homes for adding junk fees, steering residents away from eviction protections, making false promises of 24/7 emergency maintenance, and refusing to return security deposits. With more than 80,000 homes across 16 geographical markets, Invitation Homes is one of the largest single...

Ahoy there, restaurant owners and other friends! Gather around to hear about the restaurant that tricked people into thinking its shrimp and fish were wild caught right nearby, when, actually, they were farmed, frozen, and shipped in from afar. Imagine a waterfront restaurant with beachy décor. Fishing nets hang from the ceiling and pictures of shrimp and fishing boats cover the wall. You sit down at a table draped in red, white, and blue, and...

On what I’m declaring Lesley Fair Day, we’re celebrating someone who’s become an institution at this agency – for her policy of carpe podium, her mentorship of many an attorney at the agency and in state AG offices around the country, for the Business Blog…and so much more. As Lesley departs the Federal Trade Commission after 37 years (no one would ever say Lesley is retiring), it’s a good time for a highlights reel. So grab your coffee and a...

To safeguard the widgets in the warehouse, companies secure their facilities and put inventory controls in place. To protect assets that may be even more valuable – intellectual property like patents and trademarks – savvy businesses follow the registration and renewal processes established by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). But guess who else knows how highly your company values your trademarks? Scammers. That’s why they try to trick trademark applicants and owners into paying phony fees by falsely claiming an affiliation with the USPTO or by using other questionable tactics. The USPTO and the FTC have advice on how you and your staff can spot, stop, and report possible trademark-related deception.

Today the stork dropped off a special surprise for 31 adoption intermediaries: letters from FTC staff warning them to play by the rules. These letters note that adoption intermediaries, or businesses that claim to match adoptive parents with birth parents for private adoptions, may break the law by saying they’re licensed when they aren’t, making promises they can’t keep, or trying to prevent people from posting honest reviews. The letters tell...

Think your MLM income disclosure statement is a model of clarity? Think again. Think your disclosure supports claims that participants can earn lots of extra money if they join? Think again (again). Those are just two of the major takeaways from a new FTC staff report that analyzed income disclosure statements from dozens of MLMs.