August 8, 2016

The FTC has sued 1-800 Contacts, the largest online retailer of contact lenses in the United States, alleging that it unlawfully orchestrated and now maintains a web of anticompetitive agreements with rival online contact lens sellers that suppress competition in certain online search advertising auctions and that restrict truthful and non-misleading internet advertising to consumers, resulting in some consumers paying higher retail prices for contact lenses. According to the FTC’s complaint, 1-800 Contacts entered into bidding agreements with at least 14 competing online contact lens retailers that constitute unfair methods of competition in violation of federal law. FTC