William I. Rothbard

In a much-awaited decision, a federal judge has granted summary judgment in favor of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against DRTV veterans Gary Hewitt and Doug Gravink and their company, Family Products LLC, in the case FTC v. John Beck Amazing Profits et al. Hewitt and Gravink sold "John...more >>

Most antiquities remain forever relics of the past, irrelevant to the present except as objects of interest and amusement. Such had seemed to be the case with the FTC's dusty old Business Opportunity ("Biz-Op") Rule, but no more. Once confined to the realm of vending machine businesses and the...more >>

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues to define the scope of online affiliate monitoring obligations. Last year, in Legacy Learning Systems, the FTC ordered a merchant, that was paying affiliates to post favorable product reviews without disclosure of the financial tie, to: monitor and...more >>

Direct response marketers are under assault not only from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) but also from class action mills that are targeting the advertising of dietary supplements and other consumer products. The financial consequences of an attack from either front can be devastating....more >>

Last July, the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), conceived by Congress in the post-crash financial regulatory overhaul, came into being with great fanfare, carrying hopes it would champion consumer interests against the types of predatory practices that had helped bring about the...more >>

While the 2012 election is likely to stall congressional momentum on online privacy legislation, it isn't slowing down the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Privacy has become one of its two main priorities, along with protection of the "Great Recession Consumer" from financial scams, according to...more >>

Forever, it seems, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been socking it to the direct response marketing industry, seizing a company's (and its owners') assets before they've even had their day in court, installing receivers to shut down the business, and then extracting punitive redress awards...more >>

Between high-noon debt-ceiling standoffs and government shutdown threats, Congress has continued to seek consensus around a national online privacy law, sparked by the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) 2010 preliminary report calling, among other things, for a "Do Not Track" ("DNT") option for...more >>

As I wrote last month, the financial consequences for DR marketers becoming Federal Trade Commission (FTC) defendants have never been more dire. This is doubly true for DR marketers of financial services to the "Great Recession Consumer," reeling from the economic fallout and in need of quick...more >>

The financial consequences for DR marketers becoming Federal Trade Commission (FTC) defendants have never been more dire. The vast majority of FTC cases settle, usually because a defendant lacks the financial means to fight, or other times because it has a weak defense. This gives the FTC the upper...more >>