For Your Information: January
19, 2001 The Federal Trade Commission today announced the following actions:
Consent agreements given final approval:
Following a public comment period, the Commission has made final a consent agreement
with the following: R.S. of Houston Workshop, Ronald J. Schoemmell and Valdimar
Thorkelsson. The Commission vote to finalize the consent agreement was 5-0. (FTC
File No. 002-3024; staff contact is Peter W. Lamberton, Bureau of Consumer Protection,
202-326-3274; see press release dated October
31, 2000.)
Following a public comment period, the Commission has made final a consent agreement
with the following: WFS Enterprises, Inc. d/b/a The Cash Nursery, Rabb Sabin and
Arthur Smith. The Commission vote to finalize the consent agreement was 5-0. (FTC
File No. 002-3025; staff contact is Karen Leonard, Bureau of Consumer Protection,
202-326-3597; see press release dated October
31, 2000.)
Publication of Federal Register notices:
The Commission has approved the publication of a Federal Register notice regarding the
following: Statutorily Mandated Changes in the Jurisdictional Thresholds for
Section 8 of the Clayton Act. Under Section 8 of the Clayton Act, as amended in
1990, by January 31 of each year the FTC is required to calculate and publish revised
jurisdictional thresholds that trigger the Act's prohibition of interlocking directorates.
That is, with certain exceptions, one person is prohibited from serving as a director or
officer to two competing corporations if two financial thresholds are met. The annual
revisions of these thresholds are based on the change in the United States' gross national
product ("GNP"). As detailed in the Federal Register notice, due to changes in
the GNP, for fiscal year 2001, the $10 million threshold becomes $18,142,000 and the $1
million threshold becomes $1,814,200. The new thresholds take effect immediately. The
Commission vote to publish the Federal Register notice was 5-0. (FTC File No. P859910;
staff contact is H. Gabriel Dagen, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2573.)
The Commission has approved publication of a Federal Register notice regarding the
following: The FTC Public Roundtable on Dispute Resolution for Online
Business-to-Consumer Contracts. As detailed in the notice, which will be
published shortly, on February 6, 2001, the Commission will hold a roundtable discussion
at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. to discuss: 1) recommendations by business and
consumer groups regarding the use of alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") for
online consumer disputes; and 2) a proposed provision in the Preliminary Draft Convention
on Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments being negotiated by the Hague Conference on
Private International Law that provides special jurisdiction rules for international
consumer contracts. The roundtable, which is open to the public, will begin at 9:30 a.m.
and registration is not required. Requests for participation as a panelist should be
directed to the FTC staff contact at the following address: 600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.,
Washington, D.C., by fax at 202-326-3392 or by e-mail at: mmithal@ftc.gov. The Commission vote to publish the
Federal Register notice announcing the roundtable was 5-0. (File No. P994313; staff
contact is Maneesha Mithal, 202-326-2771.) |