Federal Trade Commission December 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices or unfair methods of competition. The attached Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the draft complaint and the terms of the consent orderembodied in the consent agreementthat would settle these allegations.

The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices or unfair methods of competition. The attached Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the draft complaint and the terms of the consent orderembodied in the consent agreementthat would settle these allegations.

The FTC published a notice and request for comment on December 6, 2011, regarding its intention to seek renewed Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act for the information collection requirements in the Commission's Business Opportunity Rule. This document makes a technical correction to a hyperlink in that document and adds instructions for sending public comments to OMB.

The Commission is adopting final amendments to its Trade Regulation Rule entitled ``Disclosure Requirements and Prohibitions Concerning Business Opportunities'' (``Business Opportunity Rule'' or ``Rule''). Among other things, the Business Opportunity Rule has been amended to broaden its scope to cover business opportunity sellers not covered by the interim Business Opportunity Rule, such as sellers of work-at-home opportunities, and to streamline and simplify the disclosures that sellers must provide to prospective purchasers. The final Rule is based upon the comments received in response to an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (``ANPR''), an Initial Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (``INPR''), a Revised Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (``RNPR''), a public workshop, a Staff Report, and other information discussed herein. This document also contains the text of the final Rule and the Rule's Statement of Basis and Purpose (``SBP''), including a Regulatory Analysis.

The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices or unfair methods of competition. The attached Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the draft complaint and the terms of the consent orderembodied in the consent agreementthat would settle these allegations.

The FTC intends to conduct an evaluation of Admongo, its advertising literacy program for children ages 8-12. The evaluation will involve a randomized controlled trial of the Admongo program in one or more school districts, involving 6,000-8,000 students. This research will be conducted to further the FTC's mission of protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive marketing. We will consider comments on this proposed research before submitting a request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).