1990 Wants Its Fred Meyer Guides Back

In 1990, the Hubble Telescope was launched, Nelson Mandela was released from prison, Iraq invaded Kuwait precipitating the first Gulf war, and most importantly (at least for this blog post), the FTC last updated its "Guides for Advertising Allowances and other Merchandising Payments and Services." The Guides, otherwise known as the "Fred Meyer Guides" after the Pacific Northwest retailer that got caught in an FTC case that ended up in the Supreme Court in the 1960s, attempt to give guidance for businesses on some specific aspects of the Robinson Patman Act. The Commission announced on November 28th that it is considering whether to revise or eliminate the Guides in light of developments in the economy and technology (for example the birth and development of the Internet), and in the case law interpreting the Robinson Patman Act.