Announced Actions for April 25, 2003

Commission authorization to file amended complaints: The Commission has authorized the staff to file an amended complaint in the pending court matter regarding Yad Abraham, dba Sharpthorn Internet Solutions and Internex, LLC. The Commission brought this complaint, which concerns the alleged sale of fake international driving permits, in January 2003, as part of its "Operation License for Trouble" law enforcement sweep. Through this action, the FTC has added Shaun Melville, member or manager of Internex, LLC, as an individual defendant in this matter. The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the amended complaint was 5-0. (File No. X030031; staff contact is Lemuel W. Dowdy, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 202-326-2981; see press release dated January 16, 2003.)

Commission approval of petition to reopen and modify hold separate order: The Commission has approved a petition submitted by Solvay S.A. (Solvay) to reopen and modify the FTC’s Order to Hold Separate and Maintain Assets, issued as part of the Commission’s consent regarding Solvay’s acquisition of Ausimont S.p.A. In its petition, which is available on the Commission’s Web site, Solvay stated that Paragraph III.C.5 of the Order to Hold Separate prohibits it from retaining the services of the Solvay Fluoropolymers Manager appointed pursuant to Paragraph III.C.1 to manage the businesses required to be held separate pending their divestiture for two years after the termination of the hold separate order.

The FTC-approved Hold Separate Trustee hired Gary Mularski, an employee of Slovay Fluoropolymers, Inc., as the Hold Separate Manager for the Solvay Fluoropolymers business. The Order to Hold Separate was terminated on January 21, 2003, when Solvay divested the required assets to Dyneon LLC. Solvay now seeks to hire Mularski to work at a business unit not related to relevant entities, and has accordingly petitioned the Commission to modify the terms of the Order to Hold Separate to eliminate the two-year waiting period. Dyneon has stated that it does not need the Manager’s services and that it has no objection to his remaining with Solvay as proposed. Through this action, the Commission has formally approved Solvay’s petition and modified the Order to Hold Separate. The FTC vote to approve the petition to reopen and modify hold separate order was 5-0. (FTC File No. 021-0067; Docket No. C-4046, staff contact is Daniel P. Ducore, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2526; see press releases dated May 2, 2002, and January 17 and March 18, 2003.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.