Blog

Chances are that you or someone you know will be among 2.7 million AT&T Mobility customers who will be getting a refund soon. The FTC is returning a total of $88 million to people who were billed for premium text message services they didn’t authorize. But even if the settlement doesn’t directly benefit you as a consumer, it offers insights for business people about the steps the FTC takes to get refunds back to consumers – and the seriousness...

When submitting a Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) premerger notification filing to the FTC and DOJ, a filing party must complete the HSR Form. The HSR Form requires detailed information about the transaction and the filing party’s business, and requires the submission of certain documents. In particular, Item 4(c) of the HSR Form requires filers to submit documents prepared by or for officers or directors used to evaluate or analyze the acquisition with...

Using background checks to screen tenants? Or maybe your company provides those background checks to landlords? Make sure you’re complying with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FTC’s new guidance for landlords and for tenant background screening companies can help. What do landlords need to know? Landlords must take certain steps before getting a consumer report and after taking an adverse action based on the report. A consumer report...

The FTC applies a consistent approach to evaluating ad claims. Companies must have a reasonable basis for objective representations, including claims that a product can treat specific health conditions. Whether it’s an over-the-counter drug, dietary supplement, or food, the same established standards apply. And as an FTC Enforcement Policy Statement explains, that also holds true for OTC homeopathic drugs. Consumers can find a host of homeopathic...

From the perspective of consumers, the whole purpose of prepaid debit cards – their reason for living, if you will – is to give consumers immediate access to their money. Those cards are an especially important financial lifeline for people who don’t have traditional bank accounts. In pitching its reloadable prepaid cards, NetSpend Corporation promised consumers “immediate access” to their funds with “no holds, no waiting.” But according to an...

On Monday, the FTC accepted for public comment a proposed consent order involving a consummated merger in the eye care industry. According to the complaint, Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ 2015 acquisition of Paragon Holdings reduced competition for polymer discs (aka buttons) used to make three types of rigid gas permeable (hard) contact lenses. Under the proposed order, Valeant, the parent of Bausch + Lomb, must divest the entire hard contact lens...

Looking for a new job can be stressful, whether you are a new worker applying for your first job or a highly trained professional seeking to advance in your career. The last thing a job-seeker should have to worry about is a back-room deal among employers that keeps her from getting the job of her dreams or from being offered a fair salary. Today, the FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice issued guidance to explain how the antitrust laws apply...

The phrase is only nine letters long, but for many consumers, it makes the difference between a product in the shopping basket and one left on the shelf. It’s “Made in USA” and the FTC just announced a settlement of its lawsuit against Chemence, Inc., for misleading Made in USA claims. If your company makes similar representations, is it time for a compliance check? Georgia-based Chemence manufactures Kwik Fix, Hammer Tite, and Krylex Glues –...

Do you ever hear from customers or employees who want you to know that they’ve been affected by identity theft? If so, you’ll probably start seeing them use the new FTC Identity Theft Report. It tells you that someone important to your business is a crime victim, has alerted law enforcement, and is working to resolve the financial and emotional disruption that identity theft causes. The new Identity Theft Report is a product of IdentityTheft.gov...

The Premerger Notification Office is often asked to give guidance on how to determine the value of a proposed merger or acquisition in light of the size of transaction test. The size of transaction test excludes transactions from the reporting requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act if they are valued below the annually adjusted dollar threshold. The current size of transaction threshold is $78.2 million. Questions often arise when determining...