Federal Trade Commission – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commission grants an eight (8) day extension until December 3, 2013 for filing public comments in response to the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published on September 20, 2013 (``NPRM'').

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the FTC is seeking public comments on its request to OMB for a three- year extension of the current PRA clearance for the information collection requirements contained in the Consumer Product Warranty Rule. That clearance expires on November 30, 2013 (OMB Control No. 3084-0111).

The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') announces it will hold a workshop to explore competition issues involving biologic medicines and follow-on biologics. The workshop will focus on the potential impact of state regulations and naming conventions on such competition, including how regulations may be structured to facilitate competition while still protecting patient health and safety. The experience of developing follow-on competition from small-molecule generic drugs will be considered and, as relevant, compared. Topics will include the circumstances under which potential entrants would be willing to invest in the development of follow-on biologics in order to use the abbreviated regulatory approval pathway created by federal legislation. The workshop will also survey the experience of other countries with regulatory systems that enable follow-on biologic competition. This Notice poses a series of questions about which the FTC seeks public comment. The FTC will take these comments into account in its examination of these topics.

The information collection requirements described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The FTC seeks public comments on its proposal to extend through February 28, 2017, the current PRA clearance for information collection requirements contained in its Rule Governing Pre-Sale Availability of Written Warranty Terms. That clearance expires on February 28, 2014.

The FTC is codifying the control numbers that have been issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for information collection requirements in Commission rules that are approved under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Control numbers will be centrally located in a table in our regulations.

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 ordersembodied in the consent agreementthat would settle these allegations.

The Commission is revising its rules to authorize the General Counsel to redelegate his or her authority to determine appeals related to the Freedom of Information Act (``FOIA''). The Commission is adopting these changes in order to improve and expedite the process for responding to such appeals. The changes will affect internal procedures only and are not intended to influence the outcomes of appeals made under the rules. The Commission is also adding a new provision that explicitly provides the right to appeal fee waiver determinations under the FOIA.

The FTC is soliciting public comments on proposed information requests to Patent Assertion Entities (``PAEs'') and other entities asserting patents in the wireless communications sector, including manufacturers and other non-practicing entities and organizations engaged in licensing. For purposes of this notice, PAEs are firms with a business model based primarily on purchasing patents and then attempting to generate revenue by asserting the intellectual property against persons who are already practicing the patented technology.\1\

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 Federal Trade Commission requests public comment concerning the proposed self-regulatory guidelines submitted by the kidSAFE Seal Program (``kidSAFE''), owned and operated by Samet Privacy, LLC, under the safe harbor provision of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule.

The FTC intends to ask the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') to extend through November 30, 2016, the current Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA'') clearance for the FTC's enforcement of the information collection requirements in its Prescreen Opt-Out Notice Rule (``Prescreen Opt-Out Rule'' or ``FTC Rule''), which applies to certain motor vehicle dealers, and its shared enforcement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (``CFPB'') of the provisions (subpart F) of the CFPB's Regulation V regarding other entities (``CFPB Rule''). That clearance expires on November 30, 2013.

The Federal Trade Commission requests public comment concerning the proposed parental consent method submitted by Imperium, LLC (``Imperium'') under the Voluntary Commission Approval Processes provision of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule.

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 Federal Trade Commission published a final rule on July 23, 2013 revising its Energy Labeling Rule. This document makes a technical correction to the Sample Label 3 in Appendix L of the Rule.

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 ask the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') to extend through December 31, 2016, the current Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA'') clearance for the FTC's enforcement of the information collection requirements in its Affiliate Marketing Rule (or ``Rule''), which applies to certain motor vehicle dealers, and its shared enforcement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (``CFPB'') of the provisions (subpart C) of the CFPB's Regulation V regarding other entities (``CFPB Rule''). The current clearance expires on December 31, 2013.

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 complaint and the terms of the consent orderembodied in the consent agreementthat would settle these allegations.

The information collection requirements described below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The FTC seeks public comments on its proposal to extend through November 30, 2016, the current PRA clearance for information collection requirements contained in its Consumer Product Warranty Rule. That clearance expires on November 30, 2013.

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 a preliminary and exploratory study on consumer susceptibility to fraudulent and deceptive marketing. This research will be conducted to further the FTC's mission of protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive practices. The information collection requirements described below are being submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (``PRA'').

The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') is holding a public roundtable relating to its September 20, 2012 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (``NPRM'') announcing proposed changes to the Care Labeling Rule. The roundtable will explore issues relating to professional wetcleaning, care symbols, the Rule's reasonable basis requirements, and other issues raised in comments received in response to the NPRM.

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 Commission amends the Energy Labeling Rule (``Rule'') by updating comparability ranges and unit energy costs for many EnergyGuide labels. The Commission also issues a conditional exemption and amendments for modified refrigerator and clothes washer labels to help consumers compare the labels for these products after the implementation of upcoming changes to the Department of Energy (``DOE'') test procedures.

The Commission is amending the premerger notification rules (``the Rules'') to provide a framework for the withdrawal of a premerger notification filing under the Hart Scott Rodino Act (``the Act'' or ``HSR''). The Act and Rules require the parties to certain mergers and acquisitions to file reports with the Federal Trade Commission (``the Commission'') and the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (``the Assistant Attorney General'') (collectively, ``the Agencies'') and to wait a specified period of time before consummating such transactions. The reporting and waiting period requirements are intended to enable these enforcement agencies to determine whether a proposed merger or acquisition may violate the antitrust laws if consummated and, when appropriate, to obtain effective preliminary relief in federal court to prevent consummation. This final rulemaking sets forth the procedure for voluntarily withdrawing an HSR filing, establishes when an HSR filing will be automatically withdrawn if a filing publicly announcing the termination of a transaction is made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'') under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rules promulgated under that act, and sets forth the procedure for resubmitting a filing after a withdrawal without incurring an additional filing fee.