FTCWatch
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March 31, 2026
‘Acqui-hire issue’ a focus for Ferguson
Elaborating on language from the Federal Trade Commission’s request for public comment on premerger notifications, agency Chairman Andrew Ferguson recently discussed the problem of regulating so-called “acqui-hires.”
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March 31, 2026
Calendar
March 30-April 2 — The International Association of Privacy Professionals is holding its Global Summit 2026 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC. For more details, go to: https://iapp.org/.
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March 31, 2026
Neil Averitt commentary: New normal, states circling and other ABA sideline talk
The American Bar Association’s Antitrust Spring Meeting is excellent in two ways. The formal panel presentations are a great way to keep informed of legal events, and the informal conversations in the hallways can be equally informative and cover different ground. This year the informal exchanges were especially valuable.
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March 31, 2026
Slaughter praises agency bipartisanship while awaiting high court ruling
Former Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Kelly Slaughter on Thursday extolled the virtues of the agency’s bipartisan tradition and declined to discuss a “post-apocalyptic world” that could occur if she loses her appeal before the Supreme Court.
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March 31, 2026
After Live Nation deal, Klobuchar wants stronger review of antitrust settlements
Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced the Antitrust Accountability and Transparency Act aimed at strengthening reviews of antitrust settlements to ensure they protect consumers, workers and small businesses.
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March 31, 2026
Casablanca or The Godfather: Officials clash over comparisons of DOJ
Roger Alford, the embattled former senior Department of Justice official, tried on a new hat during the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Spring Meeting — movie critic.
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March 31, 2026
Xponential Fitness to pay $17 million over deceptive tactics
Xponential Fitness agreed to pay $17 million to resolve Federal Trade Commission claims over violations of the Franchise Rule and related deceptive practices.
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March 31, 2026
Texas man pleads guilty to rigging bids for US Air Force projects
Eric J. Caddy, the owner of a storage sales company, pleaded guilty to a scheme to rig bids and defraud the Department of Defense in connection with selling products to US Air Force healthcare facilities.
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March 31, 2026
Survey shows ‘less engaged’ employees at FTC
A majority of Federal Trade Commission employees felt “less engaged” at work last year, according to a survey by the nonprofit group Partnership for Public Service.
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March 31, 2026
People — Matheson, former FTC chief trial counsel, moves to Axinn
Dan Matheson, who served as the Federal Trade Commission’s chief trial counsel in a monopolization case against Meta Platforms, has returned to the private sector.
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March 31, 2026
Slater joins think tank American Compass
Gail Slater, the former head of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, has joined conservative think tank American Compass as its competition and technology policy chair.
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March 31, 2026
On the Shelf: The why behind Apple’s success
Apple’s rise as a corporate behemoth has often resembled a roller coaster ride.
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March 31, 2026
DOJ gives junior attorneys chance to try cases, Assefi says
Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi touted the Justice Department’s antitrust record in a recent speech, while emphasizing its work in career development.
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March 31, 2026
FTC wants input on tweaks to click-to-cancel rule
After the agency’s court defeats during the Biden administration, the Federal Trade Commission is taking another attempt to strengthen the regulation of negative option subscriptions.
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March 10, 2026
Live Nation settles with DOJ mid-trial, state buy-in remains unclear
Live Nation and the Department of Justice cut a mid-trial deal Monday resolving the agency’s claims of monopolization and anticompetitive conduct across the live entertainment and ticketing industries.
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March 10, 2026
Privacy Corner: LGBT Tech’s Gardner navigates identity, advocacy and online spaces
It’s become increasingly difficult to divorce politics from technology issues, as worries about surveillance and crackdowns on speech persist for Shae Gardner, LGBT Tech’s director of policy and research.
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March 10, 2026
Senators bring bill to address consolidation, foreign owners in meatpacking
A dozen US senators have backed a bill to fundamentally reshape the American meatpacking industry, which they say has been raising costs for consumers while lowering returns for cattle ranchers and farmers.
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March 10, 2026
Consumer Protection Week highlights risks that led to billions in 2025 fraud losses
Federal Trade Commission officials spent National Consumer Protection Week providing tips to curb fraud while agency data shows consumer losses in 2025 weren’t slowing down.
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March 10, 2026
Calendar
March 30-31 — The International Association of Privacy Professionals is holding its Global Summit 2026 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC. For more details, go to: https://iapp.org/.
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March 10, 2026
People — Ehrett leaves FTC for Lex Politica
John Ehrett has left the Federal Trade Commission, where he served as Mark Meador’s chief of staff, to join Lex Politica, a boutique conservative law firm.
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March 10, 2026
Mufarrige says FTC zeroing in on economics, individual harm
The Federal Trade Commission is placing greater emphasis on economic analyses as it implements its enforcement agenda, Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Chris Mufarrige said.
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March 10, 2026
The Microsoft case at 25: Still influencing litigation and media spin
Microsoft’s seminal antitrust case, settled 25 years ago, had an impact that went beyond the law.
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March 10, 2026
Neil Averitt commentary: How Anne Bingaman granted the Cato Institute’s fondest wish
For the business libertarians at the Cato Institute, their fondest wish is no doubt that a pied piper will show up, gather the top managers of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, and lead them all into the sea. Strangely enough, this has actually happened.
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March 10, 2026
US government using antitrust for ‘cronyism,’ AELP says
The American Economic Liberties Project has released a fact sheet criticizing the federal government for transforming antitrust and consumer protection into a “means for cronyism.”
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March 10, 2026
Use of consumer data explored by FTC in workshop sequel
The Federal Trade Commission held a workshop on the use of consumer data in the economy, with the event serving as both a marker and a sequel of sorts to a workshop held in 2017.