Remember that can of worms we told you about? It looks like the lid’s come off, and the slippery invertebrates are everywhere! AdAge.com has reported the FTC will review Microsoft’s acquisition of aQuantive and Yahoo’s buyout of Right Media.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), and US Public Interest Research Group (US PRIG), are about as happy about the Google DoubleClick deal as Microsoft was, but for different reasons.

Strictly speaking, this alliance only involves two online marketing companies, but you know that, somewhere back there, Google’s watching.  It’s Google’s pal DoubleClick that’s involved, you see; the other party in this technology partnership is called Pepperjam.

The Federal Trade Commission will take a look at Google’s proposed $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick, and consider the antitrust ramifications of the deal.

Netvertise, Inc. and owner Elliot Krasnow were banned for life from promoting or selling franchises or business opportunities by the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC alleges the company violated federal law by selling franchises for Website design, promotion services, and SEO software under false claims.

Concerns about violations of the federal CAN-SPAM Act have prompted the Federal Trade Commission to investigate; shares continue to move upward.

There are at least two sides to this and we’ll try to address them both. The Center for Digital Democracy is looking to the US government to regulate the marketing of unhealthy food to children online.

A trio of privacy advocate organizations have petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to block Google’s $3.1 billion purchase of ad network DoubleClick, citing concerns about the information Google would control.

Even though Google has been drawing more Korean users to its search and Gmail services, the company still has work to do to make the local government happy with its AdSense practices.

Consumerinfo.com who does business as Experian Consumer Direct and claims to offer a free credit report has been socked with a $300,000 fine from the Federal Trade Commission for failing to disclose to consumers signed up for their service that they would be enrolled in a credit-monitoring program and charged $79.95.

Adware distributor DirectRevenue owes the Federal Trade Commission $1.5 million in ill-gotten profits after settling charges they used unfair and deceptive methods to download adware on consumers’ computers, and made it difficult to remove. Critics of the settlement say that’s only a fraction of what the company made.

The settlement prohibits future downloads of DirectRevenue’s adware without consumers’ express consent, and requires the company to provide "a reasonable and effective" way for consumers to locate and remove the adware from their computers.

The Federal Trade Commission put the kibosh on Think All Publishing for alleged deceptive online marketing and billing practices. A US Magistrate judge recommended an injunction against the company to pull the reins on its “Free Software CD” Internet scam, and ordered the company’s assets frozen.

Try to access the website of payment service InterBill and you’ll get a white-screen notice that the site is “under construction.” We can, for lack other information, assume it has nothing to do with the Federal Trade Commission filing suit over the company’s affiliation with a major scam.

If a company wants to try out word-of-mouth marketing, they need to understand that building buzz without disclosing who’s paying for that marketing could cause them a Federal-sized headache.

Copyblogger has been digging around a new statement made by the Federal Trade Commission and reported by the Washington Post.

What was pretty much a non-issue less than a year ago has the Federal Trade Commission scratching its head and asking for guidance – finally. The FTC announced it would be hosting a public workshop on “Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy” in Washington, DC in February.

Zango Inc., the Web 2.0 incarnation of bubble-era adware and porno-popup company 180solutions, settled up with the Federal Trade Commission to the tune of $3 million (about 23 cents per install). The FTC charged that Zango used unfair and deceptive methods to download adware to users computers and then block them from removing it.

The Austin Board of Realtors found itself on the receiving end of the Federal Trade Commission’s ire due to the FTC’s contention the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) used by the Board blocked the marketing of certain listings from the service.

Sales of M-rated titles to minors happened more frequently at local and regional videogame retailers than national chains.

Antitrust concerns about Google’s acquisition of radio advertising firm dMarc Broadcasting did not prevent the FTC from approving the deal, but the road ahead may be a rocky one for Google on the radio dial.

The South Korean Fair Trade Commission (SKFTC) issued their judgment against Microsoft claiming the Redmond company violated South Korean antitrust laws. The penalty includes a $32 million fine as well as an order for Microsoft to offer alternative compliant versions of the Windows operating system.