Day archives: June 23rd, 2011

WSJ: FTC Plans to Serve Google With Subpoenas

WSJ: “Federal regulators are poised to hit Google Inc. with subpoenas, launching a broad, formal investigation into whether the Internet giant has abused its dominance in Web-search advertising, people familiar with the matter said. The civil probe, which has the potential to reshape how companies compete on the Internet, is the most serious legal threat …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Legal Research, Search Engines

FTC Files Amicus Brief in U.S. District Court Opposing Proposed Class Action Settlement with Debt Buyer Midland Funding LLC

News release: “As explained in the amicus brief, the proposed settlement raises concerns in three areas in which the FTC has significant expertise: FDCPA and debt collection, privacy and data collection, and class action fairness. First, the FTC is the chief federal enforcer of the FDCPA and has conducted comprehensive assessments of debt collection activities, …

Subjects: Legal Research, Privacy

Consumer Finance Protection Bureau – Defining Larger Nonbank Participants

News release: “The Dodd-Frank Act, signed into law last year, gives the CFPB the job of supervising large banks, as well as some other types of financial companies, for compliance with federal consumer financial protection laws. While banks, thrifts, and credit unions have been subject to examinations by various federal regulators in the past, other …

Subjects: Government Documents

EPIC: Supreme Court Strikes Down Prescription Privacy Law

“In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down Vermont’s prescription privacy law. IMS Health, Inc. v. Sorrell held that the Vermont statute, which bars disclosure of prescription data for marketing purposes, violates data mining firms’ free speech rights. Vermont “burdened a form of protected expression that it found too persuasive. At the same time, …

Subjects: Courts, E-Records, Free Speech, Legal Research, Privacy

New GAO Reports – Bank Regulation, Commercial Aviation, Federal Grants, Flood Insurance, Homeland Defense, International Food Assistance, ax Administration

American Samoa and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Employment, Earnings, and Status of Key Industries Since Minimum Wage Increases Began, GAO-11-427, June 23, 2011 Bank Regulation: Modified Prompt Corrective Action Framework Would Improve Effectiveness, GAO-11-612, June 23, 2011 Commercial Aviation: Program Aimed at High-Risk Parent Abductors Could Aid in Preventing Abductions, GAO-11-602, June 23, …

Subjects: Government Documents

Plugging In: A Consumer's Guide to the Electric Vehicle

Electric Power Research Institute: “Late in 2010 the first mass-produced electric vehicles hit dealer showrooms, bringing car buyers a new, electric option. Electric cars offer performance, safety and versatility and can be charged from the electric grid, providing convenient, low- cost, at-home charging. At the U.S. national average price of 11.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, buying …

Subjects: Knowledge Management