Internet Marketing Law Blog

In 2018, the FTC held a series of hearings on consumer protection in the 21st Century.  The hearings are similar to 1995 policy research hearings under former FTC Chairman Robert Pitofsky

Largest Real Estate Scam Ever Challenged by the FTC A federal court in Maryland has issued an order temporarily shutting down the largest overseas real estate investment scam the FTC has ever targeted. According to FTC defense lawyer Richard B. Newman, the Federal Trade Commission, the promoter made promises about a tropical paradise called Sanctuary…

The Federal Trade Commission recently launched a tool to view the agency’s consumer complaint data. The data will be reported on a quarterly basis, whereas the agency previously released such data on an annual basis only. Users can see data from 2014, and search it by geographic region and the type of scam. It also…

In November 2018, Regulatory Compliance Watch – a leading publication covering compliance news, guidance and best practices for financial services professionals – quoted Richard B. Newman about the federal SPAM litigation and related compliance issues, including the federal CAN-SPAM Act and states laws such as California’s Business and Professions Code Section 17529. Mr. Newman’s quote in the…

Earlier this year, a federal judge in Delaware dealt a blow to Federal Trade Commission jurisdiction when it partially dismissed a lawsuit it filed alleging violation of antitrust laws. The dismissal drew attention, in large part, because the court ruled that the FTC’s ability to seek a permanent injunction is dependent upon establishing the existence…

New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood recently announced an agreement with Avvo – an online legal directory – to reform its attorney rating system and improve its disclosures to consumers. The announcement comes following an investigation revealed that the content and limits of Avvo’s rating system were not clearly disclosed. According to the NY…