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FTC Eases Standards For Competition Lawsuits

By  |  July 4, 2021

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to rescind a 2015 policy statement that hampered its ability to file antitrust lawsuits, effectively lowering the bar for such actions.

That 2015 statement will now be done away with in favor of a new goal for the “promotion of consumer welfare.”

As noted in a Reuters report, the open meeting was conducted online, and the group was split, with Republicans reportedly voting against withdrawal of the statement and Democrats voting for it.

Chair Lina Khan said the agency was withdrawing its old statements on consumer welfare, to go along with “the meaning of Section 5 and apply it to today’s market,” per the news outlet.

The commission also voted on party lines to tighten the rules on those who can say their goods were made in the U.S. They also voted 3-2 on rules on who would see streamlined investigations including probes of Big Tech, healthcare, the COVID-19 response and other such things.

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