Category: Federal Trade Commission
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Markey Requests FTC Investigation of Energy Drink Claims
U.S. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) has written a November 30, 2012, letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Jon Leibowitz asking the agency to investigate advertising claims made by energy-drink manufacturers. Alarmed by recent media reports allegedly linking products such as 5-Hour Energy® to consumer deaths, Markey notes that many energy drinks “are sold as…
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Marketers, Tech Companies Oppose Proposed Children’s Online Privacy Rules
According to a November 5, 2012, New York Times article, technology and media companies have joined trade groups and marketing associations in opposing the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) efforts to update provisions implemented under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). As regulators look to expand the types of data-collection activities covered by COPPA, companies…
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FTC Accepts FDA-Compliant Advertising for Foods
University of Wyoming College of Law Professor Mary Dee Pridgen has updated a treatise titled Consumer Protection and the Law to reflect recent developments in Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforcement of its 1995 policy statement on food advertising. As she notes, although FTC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have overlapping authority to police…
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FTC Issues Guidelines for Facial-Recognition Technology
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a staff report outlining best practices for the use of facial-recognition technology in online social networks, mobile apps, digital signs, and other products and services. According to an October 22, 2012, FTC press release, facial recognition technology has “a number of potential uses, such as determining an individual’s…
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Court Dismisses POM Wonderful’s Challenge to FTC Substantiation “Rule”
A federal court in the District of Columbia has dismissed the declaratory judgment action that POM Wonderful filed against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shortly before the Commission brought an enforcement action against the pomegranate product producer. POM Wonderful LLC v. FTC, No. 10-1539 (D.D.C., decided September 30, 2012). More information about the complaint and…
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FTC Revises “Green Guides” for Environmental Marketing Claims
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has revised its Green Guides to “help marketers avoid making misleading environmental claims.” According to FTC, the revisions reflect “hundreds of consumer and industry comments” and include changes to existing Guides “as well as new sections on the use of carbon offsets, ‘green’ certifications and seals, and renewable energy and…
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FTC Conducts Workshop on Competition and Safety in Pet Meds Industry
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) conducted a day-long workshop, October 2, 2012, “to examine competition and consumer protection issues in the pet medications industry.” Currently pending before the House Subcommittee on Health, a bill (H.R. 1406) introduced in April 2011 by Representative Jim Matheson (D-Utah) would require FTC to issue rules mandating pet medication…
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FTC to Accept Public Comments on Competition in Pet Medications Industry Through Nov. 1
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reopened the comment period for its October 2, 2012, workshop on competition and consumer protection issues in the pet medications industry. The commission is “seeking the views of consumers, veterinarians, pharmacists, manufacturers, business representatives, economists, lawyers, academics, and other interested parties” submitted by November 1, 2012. FTC’s workshop agenda…