FTC Issues Final Amendments on Amplifiers Used in Home Entertainment
FTC on June 11 released final amendments to its trade regulation rule related to power output claims for amplifiers utilized in home entertainment products. The changes take effect Aug. 12. The amendments, which had undergone a public review and comment…
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period, require sellers making power-related claims to calculate power output using uniform testing methods to allow consumers to easily compare amplifier sound quality; prescribe disclosure language that improves differentiation between power output claims that comply with the rule’s testing methods and those that do not; and modernize as well as clarify rule language considering these modifications. The amendments also formalize prior FTC guidance on applying the rule to multichannel amplifiers. FTC first promulgated the Amplifier Rule in 1974 to address sellers’ failure to provide essential pre-purchase information regarding the performance of home entertainment amplifiers.