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FTC’s Scrutiny of Non-Compete Agreements Provides Key Lessons for Businesses
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August 3, 2026
FTC’s Scrutiny of Non-Compete Agreements Provides Key Lessons for Businesses
By: Jordan Briggs
Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced it finalized a consent order with pest control company Rollins, Inc. that requires Rollins to stop enforcing its existing non-compete agreements with over 18,000 employees.[1] This consent order signals that although the FTC stopped pursuing an outright ban on employee non-compete agreements,[2] the agency is still poised to limit the anticompetitive effects of these non-competes. The Rollins Complaint gives insight into certain common non-compete pitfalls to avoid. Non-compete agreements are a relatively common tool used by companies in specialized industries to minimize the harm to the company if an employee joins a competitor. These agreements allow the company to restrict an employee’s ability to work for or start a competing business after leaving…
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Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws
July 15, 2026
Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws
By: Nicole Kardell
Note the below chart was updated on July 15, 2026 to reflect recent developments. The number of U.S. states that have adopted privacy laws grows regularly. Fortunately, there seems to be quite a bit of crossover, at least when it comes to thresholds that companies must meet in order to trigger compliance requirements. We provide below a chart that summarizes these thresholds by state, including…
From Paper to Blockchain: How Tokenized Collateral Could Transform Finance
July 1, 2026
From Paper to Blockchain: How Tokenized Collateral Could Transform Finance
By: John Mikuta
Our financial system is on the verge of a groundbreaking transformation that could rival the shift from film to digital photography. Just as smartphones made it instantaneous to capture and share pictures, blockchain-based tokenization of traditional assets could make financial transactions just as seamless. Even though we are now over a quarter of the way through the 21st century, today’s financial infrastructure hasn’t caught up…
Chargebacks Can Be a Major Problem for Small Businesses
February 17, 2011
Chargebacks Can Be a Major Problem for Small Businesses
By: Ifrah Law
The Wall Street Journal has acknowledged the serious problem that chargebacks pose to businesses in an article posted on its website. Merchants pay a heavy price for these reverse credit card transactions, which cost them a lost sale, the lost product, and a fine imposed by the credit card company. What’s more, courts have equated chargebacks to merchant fraud, using merchants’ chargeback rates against them…
FTC Looks at Football Helmet Safety Claims
February 7, 2011
FTC Looks at Football Helmet Safety Claims
By: Ifrah Law
Helmet safety has caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission, which is looking into marketing claims that some football helmets can help reduce concussions. Recent months have seen widespread publicity about concussions and other traumatic head and neck injuries suffered by football players, prompting the National Football League to step up enforcement of rules against illegal hits. Pressure on the FTC to investigate possibly…
Middlemen Run Afoul of FTC Suspicions
February 3, 2011
Middlemen Run Afoul of FTC Suspicions
By: Ifrah Law
Brokers, middlemen, and intermediaries serve an economic purpose: to put people who want a product or service in touch with a product maker or service provider. Real estate brokers help us buy and sell homes; mortgage brokers help us find lenders for our home purchases; manufacturing reps help get new products on our grocery shelves, and so on. These middlemen help match buyers and sellers…
FTC Gets Serious About ‘Fake’ Reviews, Endorsements
January 24, 2011
FTC Gets Serious About ‘Fake’ Reviews, Endorsements
By: Ifrah Law
In a cybermarket full of every product and service imaginable, advertisers go to great lengths to make their products stand out by grabbing consumers’ attention and interest. In recent years blogs have become a popular forum for sharing tips and information, and advertisers have used blogs to promote their products. While advertisers are perfectly entitled to tout their products’ positive attributes, they must do so…
How to Sell E-cigarettes and Avoid an FTC Investigation
January 20, 2011
How to Sell E-cigarettes and Avoid an FTC Investigation
By: Ifrah Law
Customers are flocking to electronic cigarettes — battery-operated nicotine delivery devices that are meant to replicate the flavor and sensation of smoking a tobacco cigarette. While merchants and advertisers are understandably eager to participate in this growing industry, we predict that the FTC will be watching ads carefully in anticipation of enforcing its advertising rules. The FTC can regulate advertisements for any product, but it…
