Federal Trade Commission 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Trade Commission announces the revised thresholds for interlocking directorates required by the 1990 amendment of Section 8 of the Clayton Act. Section 8 prohibits, with certain exceptions, one person from serving as a director or officer of two competing corporations if two thresholds are met. Competitor corporations are covered by Section 8 if each one has capital, surplus, and undivided profits aggregating more than $10,000,000, with the exception that no corporation is covered if the competitive sales of either corporation are less than $1,000,000. Section 8(a)(5) requires the Federal Trade Commission to revise those thresholds annually, based on the change in gross national product. The new thresholds, which take effect immediately, are $28,883,000 for Section 8(a)(1), and $2,888,300 for Section 8(a)(2)(A).

The Federal Trade Commission announces the revised thresholds for the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 required by the 2000 amendment of Section 7A of the Clayton Act.

The Commission proposes to amend the Appliance Labeling Rule (``Rule'') by updating ranges of comparability and unit energy cost figures for many EnergyGuide labels. The Commission also seeks comment on a proposed exemption request by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) to help consumers compare the labels on refrigerators and clothes washers after the implementation of upcoming changes to the Department of Energy test procedures for those products.