Podcast - New Guidance on Complying with FTC Rule on Deceptive and Unfair Fees
Hidden Fees in the Live-Event Ticketing and Short-Term Lodging Industries
The FTC and Connecticut Join Forces for Action Against Nissan Dealer
The FTC Takes Initiative to Stop Junk Fees
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: The Biden Admin “Junk Fees” Initiative Continues: What the Latest Actions Mean for the Consumer Financial Services and Rental Housing Industries, Pt 1
Good Sunday morning from Seattle . . . Our Online Travel Update for the week ending Friday, February 28, 2025, is below. This week’s Update features a variety of stories from a variety of sources, including some new sources....more
Welcome to the fifth edition of The Leisure Law Insider! Released quarterly, we cover the latest news and developments in leisure and hospitality law, regulation, and policy. Expect content on hotels, franchising, labor and...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) recently issued a final rule (the Junk Fees Rule or the Rule) banning so-called “junk fees” in two key industries: short-term lodging and live events. The Rule addresses...more
Last week, the Federal Trade Commission announced its final “Junk Fees Rule” (the “Rule”) that bans “mystery” or “junk fees” for live event tickets, hotels, and short-term rentals....more
Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a final rule—dubbed the Junk Fees Rule—to address what it views as deceptive pricing practices that cause harm to consumers and that undercut other honest...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalized its long-anticipated Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (Final Rule), targeting hidden mandatory fees and ensuring transparent pricing disclosures to consumers. Unlike the Notice...more
Warnings of an impending regulatory focus on hidden and junk fees materialized following President Joe Biden’s call to Congress during his 2023 State of the Union address to eliminate them. On December 17, the Federal Trade...more
The Federal Trade Commission has issued a long-anticipated final Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (the Rule), colloquially known as the “Junk Fees” Rule, targeting mandatory hidden fees and ensuring transparent pricing...more
On December 17, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a new rule requiring “timely, transparent, and truthful” upfront disclosures of pricing information to consumers of: Live-event tickets, which is not defined...more
The FTC has finalized a new rule aimed at ensuring greater transparency for consumers regarding mandatory fees, also called “junk fees,” for live event tickets and short-term lodging....more
On December 17, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) released its final Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, also called the “Junk Fees Rule” by the Commission. For companies involved in...more
A last-minute, emergency bill, SB-1524, was signed into law over the weekend by Governor Newsom. SB-1524 effectively modifies SB-478, the so-called junk-fee ban, which became effective today. As discussed, the exemption...more
California SB 478 (also known as the “Honest Pricing Law” or the “Hidden Fees Statute”) is set to go into effect on July 1, 2024. SB 478 amends the California Civil Code as follows: (a) The unfair methods of competition and...more
After months of stress due to ambiguities in California’s “Hidden Fees Statute,” colloquially known as the “Junk Fee Ban,” it seems the collective outcry from the hospitality industry has finally been heard. Yesterday,...more
Hospitality employers in California beware. Effective July 1, 2024, California’s Junk Fee Ban (SB 478) will go into effect, making it unlawful to advertise, display or offer a price for a good or service that does not...more
Here are curated AG and federal regulatory news stories highlighting key areas in which state and federal regulators’ decisions are having an impact across the US: •New Jersey AG Says Bumble Bumbled Background Check...more
Connecticut AG William Tong submitted testimony in support of state Senate Bill No. 15, proposed legislation that would require fee disclosures across several consumer industries including ticket sales, food and beverage...more
Resort fees garnered most of the industry’s headlines this past week as California’s governor signed legislation prohibiting hidden fees and the Federal Trade Commission finally released its proposed federal trade regulation...more
Four state attorneys general (state AGs) — Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas — have announced resolutions with Choice Hotels International, Inc. (Choice Hotels), a prominent hotel conglomerate known for operating...more
On March 22, 2023, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced a bill “to limit and eliminate excessive, hidden, and unnecessary fees imposed on consumers.” In response to President Biden’s...more
Our weekly Online Travel Update for the week ending Sunday, January 27, is below. This week’s Update provides updates on both DOT’s and FTC’s recent rulemaking efforts around “hidden” industry fees. Enjoy....more
Resort and amenity fees have long been common practice throughout the hospitality industry, first emerging in the late 1990s. The FTC reports that by 2015, hospitality fees accounted for one-sixth of total revenue in the...more