WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Aug. 24 that a federal court has granted its requested for a preliminary injunction against World Patent Marketing.
According to the FTC, World Patent Marketing is an invention-promotion scheme that allegedly deceived consumers by misinterpreting the success rate of its services. Additionally, the defendants purportedly suppressed complaints from consumers who were dissatisfied with the scheme’s services.
“The record supports a preliminary finding that [the] defendants devised a fraudulent scheme to use consumer funds to enrich themselves,” U.S. District Court Judge Darrin P. Gayles wrote in an order issuing a preliminary injunction. This injunction will remain in effect during the ongoing case. The FTC seeks a permanent halt on the defendant’s business practices.
The court first halted the scheme in March after the FTC filed a complaint. Under the terms of the Aug. 16 preliminary injunction, the defendants have been barred from making misrepresentations about their services. The judge also continued an existing freeze on defendant assets.