[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2908-2910]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-926]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

[File No. 102 3064]


Nonprofit Management LLC and Jeremy Ryan Claeys; Analysis of 
Proposed Consent Order To Aid Public Comment

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Proposed consent agreement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged 
violations of Federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or 
practices or unfair methods of competition. The attached Analysis to 
Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the draft 
complaint and the terms of the consent order--embodied in the consent 
agreement--that would settle these allegations.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 11, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are invited to submit written comments 
electronically or in paper form. Comments should refer to ``Tested 
Green, File No. 102 3064'' to facilitate the organization of comments. 
Please note that your comment--including

[[Page 2909]]

your name and your state--will be placed on the public record of this 
proceeding, including on the publicly accessible FTC Web site, at 
http://www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm.
    Because comments will be made public, they should not include any 
sensitive personal information, such as an individual's Social Security 
Number; date of birth; driver's license number or other State 
identification number, or foreign country equivalent; passport number; 
financial account number; or credit or debit card number. Comments also 
should not include any sensitive health information, such as medical 
records or other individually identifiable health information. In 
addition, comments should not include any ``[t]rade secret or any 
commercial or financial information which is obtained from any person 
and which is privileged or confidential * * *,'' as provided in Section 
6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and Commission Rule 4.10(a)(2), 
16 CFR 4.10(a)(2). Comments containing material for which confidential 
treatment is requested must be filed in paper form, must be clearly 
labeled ``Confidential,'' and must comply with FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 
4.9(c).\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The comment must be accompanied by an explicit request for 
confidential treatment, including the factual and legal basis for 
the request, and must identify the specific portions of the comment 
to be withheld from the public record. The request will be granted 
or denied by the Commission's General Counsel, consistent with 
applicable law and the public interest. See FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 
4.9(c).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Because paper mail addressed to the FTC is subject to delay due to 
heightened security screening, please consider submitting your comments 
in electronic form. Comments filed in electronic form should be 
submitted by using the following Web link: https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/testedgreen and following the 
instructions on the Web-based form. To ensure that the Commission 
considers an electronic comment, you must file it on the Web-based form 
at the Web link: https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/testedgreen. If 
this Notice appears at http://www.regulations.gov/search/index.jsp, you 
may also file an electronic comment through that Web site. The 
Commission will consider all comments that regulations.gov forwards to 
it. You may also visit the FTC Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/ to read 
the Notice and the news release describing it.
    A comment filed in paper form should include the ``Tested Green, 
File No. 102 3064'' reference both in the text and on the envelope, and 
should be mailed or delivered to the following address: Federal Trade 
Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-135 (Annex D), 600 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20580. The FTC is requesting 
that any comment filed in paper form be sent by courier or overnight 
service, if possible, because U.S. postal mail in the Washington area 
and at the Commission is subject to delay due to heightened security 
precautions.
    The Federal Trade Commission Act (``FTC Act'') and other laws the 
Commission administers permit the collection of public comments to 
consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The Commission will 
consider all timely and responsive public comments that it receives, 
whether filed in paper or electronic form. Comments received will be 
available to the public on the FTC Web site, to the extent practicable, 
at http://www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of 
discretion, the Commission makes every effort to remove home contact 
information for individuals from the public comments it receives before 
placing those comments on the FTC Web site. More information, including 
routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, may be found in the FTC's 
privacy policy, at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.shtm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elsie B. Kappler (202-326-2466), 
Bureau of Consumer Protection, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20580.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 6(f) of the Federal 
Trade Commission Act, 38 Stat. 721, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and Sec.  2.34 of 
the Commission Rules of Practice, 16 CFR 2.34, notice is hereby given 
that the above-captioned consent agreement containing a consent order 
to cease and desist, having been filed with and accepted, subject to 
final approval, by the Commission, has been placed on the public record 
for a period of thirty (30) days. The following Analysis to Aid Public 
Comment describes the terms of the consent agreement, and the 
allegations in the complaint. An electronic copy of the full text of 
the consent agreement package can be obtained from the FTC Home Page 
(for January 11, 2011), on the World Wide Web, at http://www.ftc.gov/os/actions.shtm. A paper copy can be obtained from the FTC Public 
Reference Room, Room 130-H, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC 20580, either in person or by calling (202) 326-2222.
    Public comments are invited, and may be filed with the Commission 
in either paper or electronic form. All comments should be filed as 
prescribed in the ADDRESSES section above, and must be received on or 
before the date specified in the DATES section.

Analysis of Agreement Containing Consent Order To Aid Public Comment

    The Federal Trade Commission has accepted, subject to final 
approval, an Agreement Containing Consent Order from Nonprofit 
Management LLC and Jeremy Ryan Claeys, also doing business as Tested 
Green (``respondents'').
    The proposed consent order has been placed on the public record for 
thirty (30) days for receipt of comments by interested persons. 
Comments received during this period will become part of the public 
record. After thirty (30) days, the Commission will again review the 
agreement and the comments received, and will decide whether it should 
withdraw from the agreement and take appropriate action or make final 
the agreement's proposed order.
    This matter involves the advertising, marketing, and sale of 
environmental certifications. From approximately February 2009 to April 
2010, respondents marketed the Tested Green certification using their 
Web site, http://www.testedgreen.com, as well as mass e-mails linking 
to their Web site. The marketing claimed that Tested Green was the 
``nation's leading certification program with over 45,000 
certifications in the United States.'' However, respondents never 
tested any of the companies to which they issued certifications, and 
certified anyone willing to pay a designated fee of either $189.95 for 
a ``Rapid'' certification, or $549.95 for a ``Pro'' certification. 
Immediately upon certifying companies, respondents provided them with 
HTML text for the Tested Green logo and a ``certification verification 
page'' that they could, in turn, use to advertise their Tested Green 
certified status. Respondents also claimed that Tested Green was 
endorsed by the National Green Business Association (``NGBA'') and the 
National Association of Government Contractors (``NAGC''), two 
organizations which they own and operate.
    The Commission alleges that the Tested Green certification 
constituted an express or implied representation that the products, 
services, programs, or entities bearing the certification had been 
independently and objectively evaluated based on their environmental 
attributes or benefits, when, in fact, they had not. Additionally, by 
furnishing businesses with the certification and the tools to advertise 
it, respondents provided such businesses with the

[[Page 2910]]

means and instrumentalities for the commission of deceptive acts and 
practices, and accordingly, themselves committed a deceptive act in 
violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act.
    The Commission also alleges that by stating that the NGBA and the 
NAGC endorsed Tested Green, respondents represented expressly or 
impliedly that they were independent from these organizations, when, in 
fact, they own and operate NGBA and NAGC. Therefore, respondents' 
statement of endorsement by NGBA and NAGC was false and misleading, in 
violation of Section 5. Similarly, in light of respondents' express and 
implied representation that these organizations were independent, 
respondents' failure to disclose their relationship to NGBA and NAGC 
was deceptive, in violation of Section 5.
    Part I of the proposed order prohibits respondents from 
misrepresenting: (1) The fact that, or degree to which, they have, or a 
third party has, evaluated a product, package, service, practice, or 
program based on its environmental benefits or attributes; (2) that 
respondents have, or a third party has, the appropriate expertise to 
evaluate the environmental benefits or attributes of a product, 
package, service, practice, or program; (3) the number of 
certifications issued by respondents; and (4) that a product, package, 
certification, service, practice, or program is endorsed by an 
independent person or organization.
    Part II of the proposed order bars respondents, in connection with 
the labeling, advertising, marketing, promotion, offering for sale, 
sale, or distribution of any product, package, certification, service, 
practice, or program, from providing others with the means and 
instrumentalities to make, expressly or impliedly, any false or 
misleading statement.
    Part III of the proposed order bars respondents from making any 
representation, expressly or by implication, about any user or endorser 
of a product, package, certification, service, practice, or program, 
unless they clearly and prominently disclose a material connection with 
such user or endorser, where one exists.
    Parts IV through VIII of the proposed order are reporting and 
compliance provisions. Part IV requires respondents to retain documents 
relating to their compliance with the order. Part V requires 
dissemination of the order to all current and future principals, 
officers, directors, managers, employees, agents, and representatives 
having responsibilities relating to the subject matter of the order. 
Part VI ensures notification to the FTC of changes in respondent 
Nonprofit Management's corporate status. Part VII mandates that 
respondent Claeys notify the FTC of any changes in his business 
affiliations or employment. Part VIII mandates that respondents submit 
a report to the Commission detailing their compliance with the order. 
Part IX provides that the order expires after twenty (20) years, with 
certain exceptions.
    The purpose of this analysis is to aid public comment on the 
proposed order. It is not intended to constitute an official 
interpretation of the proposed order or to modify its terms in any way.

    By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-926 Filed 1-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-P