LabMD litigation against FTC lingers
Although the Federal Trade Commission won its effort to quash a lawsuit over its probe of LabMD, the now-defunct medical laboratory is still trying to sue three agency employees.
The pushback on convenience, resort and junk fees
Unexpected, surreptitious fees in retail transactions — additions like “convenience fees” and “resort fees” — have proliferated wildly over the past 30 years. When they aren’t clearly disclosed at the start of a transaction, their omission can deceive consumers and distort the purchase decision....
Current Issue: 835
Chairwoman Ramirez reaffirms her focus on the “Internet of Things”
As she settled into her job as chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission last March, Edith Ramirez made clear that the agency would closely examine the so-called “Internet of Things”. This...
Stakes are sky-high in DOJ’s challenge to US Airways-American merger
The Justice Department’s stunning decision to challenge the proposed $11 billion US Airways-American Airlines merger continues to send shock waves through the usually placid antitrust world. The...
Consumer privacy groups put Facebook on defensive over privacy
While the hired guns for industry and corporate interests have great swat in Washington policy debates because of their access to decision-makers, public interest advocates also can make waves, as...
Advocacy group blasts Obama Administration’s privacy initiative
A recent report by the advocacy group Center for Digital Democracy blisters the Obama Administration’s year-long effort to bring groups together to develop new voluntary privacy standards to govern...
FTC backs down despite win in GA hospital case
The FTC’s Supreme Court win in the Phoebe Putney hospital merger may be good news for other communities in the future, but residents of Albany, Georgia are feeling like they were the victims of a...
Judge orders a monitor to oversee Apple’s conduct in e-books case
After a three week trial in which she found that Apple Inc. had conspired with five book publishers to fix e-book prices, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote recently ordered that an external...