The Federal Trade Commission’s recent enforcement actions against Amazon and Apple raise important questions about the FTC’s consumer protection practices, especially its use of economics. How does the Commission weigh the costs and benefits of its enforcement decisions? How does the agency employ economic analysis in digital consumer protection cases generally?
Join the International Center for Law and Economics and TechFreedom on Thursday, July 31 at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company for a lunch and panel discussion on these important issues, featuring FTC Commissioner Joshua Wright, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics Martin Gaynor, and several former FTC officials. RSVP here.
Commissioner Wright will present a keynote address discussing his dissent in Apple and his approach to applying economics in consumer protection cases generally.
Geoffrey Manne, Executive Director of ICLE, will briefly discuss his recent paper on the role of economics in the FTC’s consumer protection enforcement. Berin Szoka, TechFreedom President, will moderate a panel discussion featuring:
- Martin Gaynor, Director, FTC Bureau of Economics
- David Balto, Fmr. Deputy Assistant Director for Policy & Coordination, FTC Bureau of Competition
- Howard Beales, Fmr. Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection
- James Cooper, Fmr. Acting Director & Fmr. Deputy Director, FTC Office of Policy Planning
- Pauline Ippolito, Fmr. Acting Director & Fmr. Deputy Director, FTC Bureau of Economics
Background
The FTC recently issued a complaint and consent order against Apple, alleging its in-app purchasing design doesn’t meet the Commission’s standards of fairness. The action and resulting settlement drew a forceful dissent from Commissioner Wright, and sparked a discussion among the Commissioners about balancing economic harms and benefits in Section 5 unfairness jurisprudence. More recently, the FTC brought a similar action against Amazon, which is now pending in federal district court because Amazon refused to settle.
Event Info
The “FTC: Technology and Reform” project brings together a unique collection of experts on the law, economics, and technology of competition and consumer protection to consider challenges facing the FTC in general, and especially regarding its regulation of technology. The Project’s initial report, released in December 2013, identified critical questions facing the agency, Congress, and the courts about the FTC’s future, and proposed a framework for addressing them.
The event will be live streamed here beginning at 12:15pm. Join the conversation on Twitter with the #FTCReform hashtag.
When:
Thursday, July 31
11:45 am – 12:15 pm — Lunch and registration
12:15 pm – 2:00 pm — Keynote address, paper presentation & panel discussion
Where:
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company – Rehearsal Hall
641 D St NW
Washington, DC 20004
Questions? – Email mail@techfreedom.org. RSVP here.
See ICLE’s and TechFreedom’s other work on FTC reform, including:
- Geoffrey Manne’s Congressional testimony on the the FTC@100
- Op-ed by Berin Szoka and Geoffrey Manne, “The Second Century of the Federal Trade Commission”
- Two posts by Geoffrey Manne on the FTC’s Amazon Complaint, here and here.
About The International Center for Law and Economics:
The International Center for Law and Economics is a non-profit, non-partisan research center aimed at fostering rigorous policy analysis and evidence-based regulation.
About TechFreedom:
TechFreedom is a non-profit, non-partisan technology policy think tank. We work to chart a path forward for policymakers towards a bright future where technology enhances freedom, and freedom enhances technology.
