FTCWatch
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August 06, 2024
Global enforcers vow to protect competition across AI ecosystem
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and other antitrust enforcers reiterated their commitment to protecting competition across the artificial intelligence ecosystem.
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August 06, 2024
Senate panel approves spending hike for FTC
A Senate panel wants to give the Federal Trade Commission a slight increase in its budget, but the agency could have a tough time seeing the money given the disagreements between the House and Senate.
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August 06, 2024
Harris, Trump present diverging views on antitrust enforcement
Antitrust hasn’t been mentioned much in this year’s presidential campaign, but the candidates have in the past voiced strong views on enforcement.
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August 06, 2024
On the Shelf: More solutions for combating disinformation
Commentators on both sides of the political divide gripe about disinformation, although they often disagree about the definition and possible solutions.
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August 06, 2024
Abandoned UnitedHealth-Stewardship deal raised concerns, Kanter says
UnitedHealth Group’s proposed acquisition of Stewardship Health “raised questions about quality of care,” according to Jonathan Kanter, the Justice Department’s antitrust chief. Kanter made his remarks after the deal was called off.
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August 06, 2024
Mastercard, Chase targeted in FTC study on surveillance pricing
The Federal Trade Commission is looking into Mastercard and JPMorgan Chase’s surveillance pricing of products and services.
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August 06, 2024
People
Fisher joins AAI
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August 06, 2024
Feds act to halt student debt relief scam
USA Student Debt Relief must halt a scheme that allegedly tricked financially vulnerable consumers into paying hundreds of dollars in junk fees, the Federal Trade Commission said.
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August 06, 2024
Be more upfront with franchisees, FTC warns chains
The Federal Trade Commission has a message to companies that use the franchise model: Be more transparent about the costs involved and don’t penalize franchisees for reporting bad practices.
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July 16, 2024
Vroom to pay $1 million for deceptive claims
Online used car dealer Vroom agreed to pay $1 million to resolve Federal Trade Commission claims that it misled consumers. The Texas-based company said it thoroughly examined all vehicles before listing them for sale.
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July 16, 2024
AI influencers, avatars in kid ads pose risks, FTC lawyer warns
Advertisers using animated characters to sell food and toys to children is nothing new. But as more companies roll out animated characters and influencers powered by AI, the Federal Trade Commission is worried kids can’t tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fake.
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July 16, 2024
Privacy Corner: Mozilla’s Tiwari enjoys unsettled landscape of tech policy
Tech policy was unfolding as Udbhav Tiwari, Mozilla’s director of Global Product Policy, was studying law. He was drawn into his public policy career because he wanted to meet potential problems head on.
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July 16, 2024
Calendar
July 31 — The American Economic Liberties Project is hosting an online discussion on “Beyond Antitrust: Medicare Advantage and Vertical Consolidation in Healthcare.” It will feature comments by Hayden Rooke-Ley, a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project, who has written a paper on the topic, and Senior Healthcare Policy Analyst Emma Freer. It will be held at 11 a.m. For more information, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YDeByyBvTaOHLcqIe5deKA?emci=2124bfd1-024a-ef11-86c3-6045bdd9e096&emdi=c48325cc-9d4a-ef11-86c3-6045bdd9e096&ceid=29191655#/registration.
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July 16, 2024
Arise to pay $7 million in gig work settlement
Arise Virtual Solutions agreed to a $7 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission to resolve claims that it misled consumers about the money they could make on its platform.
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July 16, 2024
Feds target billing scheme over CBD, Keto-related products
The Federal Trade Commission accused two groups of defrauding consumers by enrolling them in continuity plans where they were charged for personal care products they didn’t agree to buy.
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July 16, 2024
DOJ official breaks down 2023 merger guidelines
A Department of Justice official outlined three important considerations the agency focused on in developing its 2023 merger guidelines: comprehensiveness, applying burden shifting and market realities.
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July 16, 2024
Despite differences, Holyoak says there’s comity at the FTC
Although she’s outnumbered ideologically, Federal Trade Commission member Melissa Holyoak said she doesn’t feel sidelined or that the Democratic majority withholds information from her.
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July 16, 2024
People
Antitrust vet Roush lands at Sidley
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July 16, 2024
PBMs’ incentives to engage in exclusionary rebates warrant more scrutiny, FTC says
Concentration among pharmacy benefit managers is increasing, with vertical integration having raised various competitive concerns in the drug supply chain in the US as well as financial conflicts of interest which should be investigated further, the Federal Trade Commission said.
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July 16, 2024
Saks-Neiman Marcus deal set to attract intense antitrust review
The parent of Saks Fifth Avenue is seeking to buy rival luxury department store Neiman Marcus Group in a $2.65 billion deal that is sure to attract significant antitrust scrutiny from US competition authorities.
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July 16, 2024
GOP lawmakers push back on FTC bid for more money
Federal Trade Commission officials took their plea for more money into the congressional lion’s den, and Republican lawmakers seemed reluctant to open Congress’ wallet.
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July 16, 2024
On the Shelf: A conservative’s defense of free speech
The debate over the limits of free speech has always been robust but intensified with the rise of Internet use and the country’s increased polarization.
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July 16, 2024
Beware of warranty rule violations, FTC tells air purifier sellers, others
The Federal Trade Commission is advising eight companies to change the language of their warranties because they’re preventing consumers from exercising their rights to get certain products repaired.
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July 16, 2024
Neil Averitt commentary: What’s the FTC’s ‘Plan B’ on noncompete clauses?
Let us now engage in contingency planning. The Federal Trade Commission’s noncompete rule is likely to be permanently barred by a district court before the end of the summer. Yet the issue of noncompetes remains important to the agency’s leadership. So what alternative paths can we expect them to pursue if rulemaking is ruled out?
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July 16, 2024
Tempur Sealy-Mattress Firm challenge by FTC revives customer-foreclosure theory of harm
Tempur Sealy, a worldwide mattress supplier, and US acquisition target Mattress Firm are fighting a merger challenge by the Federal Trade Commission that revives a foreclosure theory of harm that the agency hasn’t presented in a merger trial for decades — a consolidated company's potential for restricting access by a rival to an essential customer base, thereby reducing competition.