Business Opportunity Rule Workshop

The Federal Trade Commission will hold a day-long public workshop on June 1, 2009 in Washington, DC, to explore proposed changes to the FTC’s Business Opportunity Rule. The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will examine possible changes to the rule that were outlined in a Revised Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (RNPR) on March 26, 2008.

The workshop will primarily explore issues relating to the effectiveness of a proposed one-page Business Opportunities Disclosure Form that sellers of business opportunities would be required to provide to prospective purchasers. The proposed Disclosure Form is intended to provide prospective purchasers with information they can use to make an informed decision about the potential business opportunity, including information about earnings claims, legal actions, existence of cancellation or refund policies, and references. The workshop also will address general issues raised in comments that have been submitted to the FTC in response to the proposed rulemaking. A more detailed agenda will be published at a later date, before the scheduled workshop.

Business opportunity ventures include vending machine routes, rack display operations, and medical billing ventures. The FTC’s new proposed rule is aimed at protecting consumers from bogus business opportunities while minimizing compliance costs for legitimate businesses.

The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the FTC’s satellite building conference center, located at 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC. All attendees will be required to display a current driver’s license or other form of photo identification for entry.

The Commission will be accepting comments on the topics to be covered at the workshop until June 15, 2009. The FTC staff also invites interested parties to submit requests to be panelists by May 4, 2009. Interested parties should include a statement detailing their expertise on the issues to be addressed at the workshop and their complete contact information. Requests to participate filed in an electronic form should be sent to: businessopportunityworkshop@ftc.gov.

FTC PRIVACY POLICY

When you pre-register, the FTC collects your name and affiliation. We will use this information for administrative purposes related to the workshop and will dispose of it following the workshop. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or other laws, we may be required to disclose the information you provide to outside organizations. For additional information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacyct, see the FTC Privacy Policy. The FTC Act and other laws the FTC enforces allow the collection of your pre-registration contact information for the purposes described above.

For additional information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, see the Commission’s comprehensive Privacy Policy.


FILING A COMMENT — Deadline: June 29, 2009

Any person also may submit written comments on the topics to be addressed at the workshop.
Comments should refer to “Business Opportunity Rule Workshop – Comment, Project No. P084405” to facilitate the organization of comments.

Extension until June 29, 2009 of the Workshop Public Comment Period [PDF]

To File Electronically:

Follow the instructions and fill out the form at https://secure.commentworks.com/ftc-businessopportunityworkshop/

To File in Paper Form:

A comment or request to participate as a panelist filed in paper form should include the “Business Opportunity Rule Workshop – Comment, Project No. P084405” or “Business Opportunity Rule Workshop – Request to Participate, Project No. P084405” reference both in the text and on the envelope, and should be mailed or delivered, with two complete copies, to the following address:

Federal Trade Commission
Office of the Secretary
600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Room H-135 (Annex S)
Washington, DC 20580

The FTC is requesting that any comment filed in paper form be sent by courier or overnight service, if possible, because postal mail to the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security precautions.

To Request Confidential Treatment:

To request confidential treatment, you must file in paper form and clearly label the first page of the document with “Confidential” and comply with Commission Rule 4.9(c). 15 C.F.R. § 4.9(c).

Comments must be received by COB June 29, 2009.


FTC PRIVACY POLICY

The Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments, whether filed in paper or electronic form, and as a matter of discretion, we make every effort to remove home contact information for individuals from the public comments before posting them on the FTC website.

The FTC Act and other laws we administer permit the collection of the comments you file to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. For additional information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, see the Commission’s comprehensive Privacy Policy.


DISABILITY ACCOMODATIONS

TReasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via e-mail to: cmcglothin@ftc.gov or by calling Carrie McGlothin at 202-326-3388. Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodations needed and a way to contact you if we need more information. Please provide advance notice.


CONSUMER INFORMATION:


BUSINESS INFORMATION: