In 2015, a group of non-government organizations (NGOs) filed a petition with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), asking CPSC to categorically ban additive organohalogen flame retardants (OFRs) from the market in the U.S. in many significant consumer product categories. OFRs include a very broad set of diverse chemical compounds added to consumer products
Regulations
Elliot Kaye Steps Down as CPSC Chair
In line with the chairs of other U.S. government agencies and commissions, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Elliot F. Kaye has resigned his seat as chairman, according to internal sources. Pursuant to the commissioners’ unanimous vote on January 19, 2017, Vice Chair Ann Marie Buerkle assumes the role of Acting Chair until a…
Best Buy Agrees to Pay $3.8 Million for Selling Recalled Products
Mega-retailer Best Buy agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle allegations that the company distributed and sold recalled products, a violation of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) after the 2008 amendments. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff alleged that the retailer sold more than 600 recalled units, including over 400 Canon cameras, to…
State Data Breach Notification Laws – Overview of Requirements for Responding to a Data Breach (Updated June 2016)
We have updated our summary of state data breach notification laws in light of recent amendments to some of the laws since our last update in September 2015.
Notably, Tennessee amended its data breach notification law, the Identity Theft Deterrence Act, effective July 1, 2016, by eliminating an encryption safe harbor and requiring that…
FAA Paves the Way for More Ubiquitous Use of Drones
On June 21, 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its much-anticipated new Small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rule (Part 107). Simultaneously with its release, the White House issued a Fact Sheet for the new Rule. The Rule permits the operation of small UAS (an unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds) in the National…
GDPR Publication Starts Countdown to May 2018 Compliance Date for New Privacy Rules
The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation 2016/69, Apr. 27, 2016), approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, was formally published in the Official Journal of the European Union on May 4, 2016, and will replace the Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC) effective May 28, 2018. This…
California Adds Styrene to Proposition 65 List; Proposes NSRL
On April 22, 2016, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added styrene to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens. OEHHA maintains a list of chemicals required under Proposition 65 (formally, the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act) that are “known to the state” to be reproductive toxicants or carcinogens based on…
FCC Adopts Broadband Privacy NPRM
At its Open Meeting yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would apply the privacy protections in Section 222 of the Communications Act to broadband Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The text of the NPRM, which reportedly seeks public comment on more than 500 questions relating to privacy and…
The FCC Continues Privacy Push with Draft Proposal Regulating ISP Customers’ Data
FTC Extends Comment Deadline on Proposed Changes to Jewelry Guides
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) announced that it will extend the period for the public to comment on its proposed update to the Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries (the Jewelry Guides, published in 16 C.F.R. Part 23). Comments…