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A Sewer By Any Other Name Would Smell As Foul

Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.24.05

Southwest Marine, Inc. (Feb. 23, 2005), concerned costs incurred by a contractor in defending a private action brought under the Clean Water Act in which the government did not intervene and in which a federal court found that the contractor had violated the act, imposed a penalty for that violation, and then remitted the penalty entirely in recognition of costs incurred by the contractor to correct the violation. The ASBCA acknowledged that there was no FAR provision that expressly made the costs of a private action unallowable, but noted that FAR 31.205-47 would make such costs unallowable if the action had been brought by the government and concluded that the costs incurred in this private action were sufficiently similar to costs incurred in an action brought by the government to make the costs of the private action unallowable as well.

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Client Alert | 5 min read | 08.21.26

FTC Proposes Enforcement Policy Statement on Personalized Pricing: What Businesses Need to Know

On August 19, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed Enforcement Policy Statement on personalized pricing — the practice of companies using consumers’ personal data to set individualized prices, discounts, coupons, or other incentives. The proposed statement, which is open for public comment for 30 days following publication in the Federal Register, marks a major step up in the FTC’s focus on data-driven pricing strategies and puts businesses across industries on notice that undisclosed or inadequately disclosed personalized pricing will not be tolerated. Importantly, while the proposed statement is not a binding legal requirement and does not create new legal obligations, it serves as an enforcement warning that the FTC is prepared to use its existing enforcement authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act (Section 5) and is also a potential harbinger of rulemaking. Businesses that engage in — or are considering — personalized pricing should carefully assess their disclosure practices and data collection procedures against the standards articulated in this statement....

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