The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s Rule Concerning Subscriptions and Other Negative Option Plans (often referred to as the “Click-to-Cancel” rule) on July 8, just days...more
7/9/2025
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Judicial Authority ,
Negative Option Rule ,
Regulatory Authority ,
ROSCA ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Subscription Services ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule ,
Vacated
In a development that underscores the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) growing scrutiny of the “merchant of record” model, the commission announced a $5 million settlement with UK-based Paddle.com Market Limited (Paddle),...more
6/23/2025
/ Consumer Protection Laws ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Know Your Customers ,
Payment Systems ,
ROSCA ,
Settlement ,
Subscription Services ,
Telemarketing ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule ,
UK ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On Friday, the Federal Trade Commission voted to defer the compliance deadline for the amended Negative Option Rule by 60 days. The Commission issued a statement on the new deadline....more
Ending speculation and uncertainty about whether new leadership at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would repeal or continue to defend the agency’s Negative Option Rule, which regulates offerings such as autorenewal of...more
3/21/2025
/ Auto-Renewal ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Negative Option Rule ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Subscription Services ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Venable's AdLaw Symposium is back!
Please join us in our Washington, DC, headquarters for this highly anticipated event focused on providing you with the information you need to promote your brand with confidence....more
3/7/2025
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Auto-Renewal ,
Best Practices ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Events ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Greenwashing ,
Legal Ethics ,
Marketing ,
NAD ,
Pricing ,
Privacy Laws ,
Risk Mitigation ,
State Regulators ,
Subscription Services
Last Friday in a 2-1 order, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an initial challenge to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Negative Option Rule. The challengers had asked the court to stay the Rule from taking...more
On December 20, 2023, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a Petition in state court alleging Sirius XM Radio’s autorenewal practices violated New York’s autorenewal law. In the lawsuit, New York alleges that Sirius...more
Payment service providers should take note of an expansive new rule proposed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) intended to protect consumer shoppers of goods and services sold on a subscription basis. For merchants...more
3/29/2023
/ Automatic Renewals ,
Cancellation Rights ,
Comment Period ,
Consent ,
Consumer Contracts ,
E-Commerce ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Marketing ,
Notice Requirements ,
Payment Processors ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Subscription Services ,
Terms and Conditions
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission announced that its proposed rule replacing its Prenotification Negative Option Rule would result in new, expansive requirements for all forms of negative option offers, including...more
3/29/2023
/ Automatic Renewals ,
Cancellation Rights ,
Comment Period ,
Consent ,
Consumer Contracts ,
Corporate Counsel ,
E-Commerce ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Marketing ,
Notice Requirements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Subscription Services ,
Terms and Conditions
When it comes to negative options, the CFPB has strong opinions. As demonstrated in its new circular, these opinions generally align with those of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has repeatedly targeted trial...more
The law surrounding negative option and continuity programs continues to evolve rapidly. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the latest developments? Below is what you need to know in light of new laws, new enforcement actions,...more
1/19/2023
/ Automatic Renewals ,
Consent ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
GrubHub ,
New Legislation ,
ROSCA ,
Settlement ,
State Attorneys General ,
Subscription Services ,
Terms of Service ,
Website Design
Risk management personnel who underwrite e-commerce merchants should have some basic understanding of the types of online merchant marketing and sales practices that are deceptive and misleading....more
11/18/2022
/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Credit Reporting Agencies ,
E-Commerce ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Marketing ,
Payment Processors ,
Popular ,
Subscription Services ,
Surcharges ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Website Design ,
Websites
On July 1, new requirements under California's automatic renewal will take effect. As we previously blogged, the amendments will require businesses to make it even easier for consumers to cancel and impose new requirements on...more
With several new state laws effective in 2022, it is becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to develop baseline compliance protocols across federal and state automatic renewal laws.
Against this backdrop, federal...more
The laws and rules governing automatic renewal programs continue to change on a regular basis. Over the past year, the Federal Trade Commission has announced a number of settlements and lawsuits enforcing the federal Restore...more
2/15/2022
/ Automatic Renewals ,
Consumer Contracts ,
Debit and Credit Card Transactions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New Legislation ,
Payment Processors ,
ROSCA ,
Subscription Services ,
Webinars