Publication of product standards by a trade association as an industry goal
68 F.T.C. 1268 · Oct. 14, 1965 · Digest No. 4
source volume section (68 F.T.C. 1268)
Text is machine-OCR of the printed volume and may contain errors. Advisory opinions are the Commission's views on proposed conduct, not binding orders.
No. 4. Publication of product standards by a trade association as an industry goal.
The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it had recently rendered an advisory opinion informing a trade association that no objection wiJ be raised to its distribution of product standards as an industry goal. The Association had requested advice on whether it may legaUy distribute a booklet giving standards which represent the ideal of a top quality industry product. The booklet was prepared about two years ago but it was subsequently determined that the standards were so high as to make them impracticable as commodity standards for the whole industry.
The Association is now interested in distributing the booklet merely as an idcal and as a goal for which the industry should be striving, and questioned whether or not this might be considered as acting in restraint of trade.
The Commission s advice was that there could be no objection to the distribution of this booklet under the CIrcumstances and for the purpose stated in the letter from the Association, provided it removes any procedure, practice or requirement that seals of approval be given to industry members who meet the standards. (FiJe No. 653 7043, released Oct. 14 , 1965.