FTC To Host Workshops on Resale Price Maintenance February 17 and 19, 2009

The Federal Trade Commission will host its first two in a series of public workshops on resale price maintenance (RPM) on Tuesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 19, beginning at 10 am EST at the agency’s Headquarters building in Washington, DC. The workshops are designed – for the purposes of the competition laws the FTC enforces – to determine how best to distinguish between uses of RPM that benefit consumers and those that do not. The agendas were posted last month and can be found on the Commission’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/opp/workshops/rpm/. RPM typically involves an agreement between a manufacturer and retailer setting the prices at which the retailer will resell the manufacturer’s goods to consumers. The February 17 workshop will focus on Theories of Economic Benefits of RPM, and the February 19 workshop will examine Theories of Economic Harms. The events are free and open to the public, and no pre-registration is required.

Webcast Information

Reporters interested in this event, but who are unable to attend, can view a Webcast using a link on the RMP Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/opp/workshops/rpm/ on the day of the event.