FTCWatch
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October 15, 2024
Bipartisan overhaul of HSR form shows FTC’s Dems, Republicans can work together
When the Federal Trade Commission announced long-awaited changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act premerger notification requirements last week, it was the first time in the rule’s 45-year history that such a major overhaul had taken place — and it was accomplished with a 5-0 vote. Two years ago, when the agency had two different Republican commissioners, unanimity on big issues was rare.
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October 15, 2024
Rule banning fake reviews takes effect Oct. 21
“I was disappointed when this product arrived,” the three-star review on Amazon said. “The pop tarts were just crumbles.” Compare that to this snippet from a review of another product posted about a decade ago on Amazon alongside a five-star rating: “I am in-love with this product.”
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October 15, 2024
Privacy Corner: Georgetown Law’s Ohm advised FBI on privacy
Georgetown Law Professor Paul Ohm landed his first job as a lawyer with the Department of Justice in the early 2000s. Computer programming had offered the perfect segue.
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October 15, 2024
In hurricane aftermath, feds act to clean up disinformation
Along with a recent storm came a torrent of disinformation, causing state and federal officials, including those at the Federal Trade Commission, to set the record straight on scams and other falsehoods related to the hurricane.
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October 15, 2024
Calendar
Oct. 16 — The Consumer Technology Association is hosting a fireside chat with Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. It will be held at 4 p.m. at CTA Innovation House in Washington, DC. For more information, go to: https://web.cvent.com/event/f55bc700-f2f4-4620-867f-bfd555c4f792/regProcessStep1.
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October 15, 2024
DOJ gets another guilty plea in asphalt bid-rigging probe
The Department of Justice secured a guilty plea from a sixth individual in a bid-rigging investigation targeting the Michigan asphalt industry.
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October 15, 2024
On the Shelf: A Supreme Court justice describes how she got there
Supreme Court justices tend to write two kinds of books, either coming-of-age memoirs or analyses of some aspect of the law.
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October 15, 2024
Antitrust enforcers vow to safeguard AI markets at G7 summit
The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission pledged to safeguard developing artificial intelligence markets at a global competition summit held in Rome.
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October 15, 2024
Hess CEO banned from Chevron board
The Federal Trade Commission banned John B. Hess from being appointed to Chevron’s board of directors as part of the proposed Chevron-Hess deal, citing antitrust concerns.
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October 15, 2024
Marriott settles with FTC, states over data breaches
The Federal Trade Commission settled with Maryland-based hotel chain Marriott International and its subsidiary Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide after three data breaches that affected more than 300 million people globally.
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October 15, 2024
Neil Averitt commentary: Surveillance pricing and the Walmart-Vizio deal
We saw in the last issue that the Federal Trade Commission is studying individualized or “surveillance” pricing, looking first at its obvious consumer protection effects. But a firm’s ability to set individual prices can also be relevant in assessing antitrust cases. The agency’s review of the Walmart-Vizio merger gives it a chance to think about those competitive implications.
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October 15, 2024
Scrutiny of AI tenant screening grows as consumer advocates file suit
A new lawsuit alleging RentGrow’s services violate Washington, DC, consumer protection laws marks the latest attempt to rein in the tenant screening industry, one that’s facing mounting scrutiny from consumer advocates and regulators over its use of unregulated information.
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October 15, 2024
People — Silton gets AAI award
Heidi Silton, a veteran plaintiff litigator, will receive the American Antitrust Institute’s Hollis Salzman Memorial Leadership Award.
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October 15, 2024
When civil action fails to deter, FTC calls in consumer crime unit
A Federal Trade Commission lawsuit wasn’t enough to stop one California man from his multimillion-dollar deception, neither was a court holding him in contempt, or the millions the commission recovered for consumers who were defrauded.
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October 15, 2024
FTC’s probe of utilities caused monumental changes in government
This is the second in a series of articles marking the 110th anniversary of the Federal Trade Commission’s founding.
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October 01, 2024
Calendar
Oct. 16 — The Consumer Technology Association is hosting a fireside chat with Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. It will be held at 4 p.m. at CTA Innovation House in Washington, DC. For more information, go to: https://web.cvent.com/event/f55bc700-f2f4-4620-867f-bfd555c4f792/regProcessStep1.
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October 01, 2024
FTC withdraws from recent merger-related MOU with agencies
The Federal Trade Commission was one of four federal agencies to sign on this summer to a memorandum of understanding to facilitate information sharing during merger investigations. That agreement is likely down to three.
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October 01, 2024
FTC staff votes to unionize
More than 800 attorneys, economists, statisticians, investigators and other professional staff at the Federal Trade Commission have voted to unionize and form a bargaining unit under the National Treasury Employees Union, according to a memo sent Friday by FTC Chair Lina Khan.
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October 01, 2024
Nationwide landlord that hid fees settles with FTC
Hidden fees, poor inspections, and unfairly retained security deposits — these were just some of the problems renters faced, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s complaint against Invitation Homes, America’s largest landlord of single-family homes.
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October 01, 2024
Lawmakers debate proper scope of FTC’s powers
Congressional Republicans and Democrats are engaged in a tug-of-war over the powers of the Federal Trade Commission, and neither side is likely to break the stalemate soon.
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October 01, 2024
GameStop CEO fined $1 million over Wells Fargo stock purchase
Ryan Cohen, chief executive officer of GameStop, agreed to pay a $985,320 penalty to settle charges that his acquisition of Wells Fargo & Co. shares violated antitrust law.
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October 01, 2024
‘Pig butchering’ scams on feds’ radar
Your local meat market is not the likely culprit behind a “pig butchering” scam, a fraud that has cost some individuals hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years and put government agencies at work on prevention.
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October 01, 2024
Accused of investment scheme, BRG settles with government
Business Revolution Group has agreed to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over its alleged scheme targeting consumers looking to build their own businesses.
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October 01, 2024
DOJ withdraws from 1995 bank merger guidelines
The Department of Justice announced its withdrawal from the 1995 bank merger guidelines, emphasizing that the 2023 merger guidelines “remain its sole and authoritative statement across all industries.”
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October 01, 2024
People — Former FTC attorney leaves Amazon to join Weil
The attorney who led Amazon’s strategy through major mergers and acquisitions the last several years got her start in the antitrust field dealing with power washers. Now, she’s leaving the global technology giant to join a law firm in Washington, DC.