3.0.0 5499 2023-01-11T13:25:36Z 2023-01-11T13:25:36Z House H HR 2014-09-16 113 From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. SWALWELL of California:H.R. 5499.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article I, Section 8, Clauses 1, 3, and 18[Page H7618]]]> hsif00 Energy and Commerce Committee House Standing hsif17 Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Referred to 2014-09-19T14:42:08Z Referred to 2014-09-16T14:03:10Z 2014-09-19 hsif17 Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee 1 House committee actions Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. Committee 2014-09-16 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. IntroReferral H11100 2 House floor actions hsif00 Energy and Commerce Committee 2014-09-16 Introduced in House IntroReferral Intro-H 9 Library of Congress 2014-09-16 Introduced in House IntroReferral 1000 9 Library of Congress S001193 Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15] Eric Swalwell D CA 15 N S000344 Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-30] BRAD SHERMAN D CA 30 2014-09-16 True C001068 Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] Steve Cohen D TN 9 2014-09-16 True C001097 Rep. Cárdenas, Tony [D-CA-29] Tony Cárdenas D CA 29 2014-09-16 True E000215 Rep. Eshoo, Anna G. [D-CA-18] ANNA ESHOO D CA G. 18 2014-11-20 False T000472 Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-41] Mark Takano D CA 41 2014-11-20 False Commerce Civil actions and liability Competition and antitrust Consumer affairs Contracts and agency First Amendment rights Intellectual property Licensing and registrations Performance measurement Commerce 00 2014-09-16 Introduced in House 2014-10-08T15:52:08Z Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014 - Declares a provision of a form contract to be void from the inception if it: (1) prohibits or restricts a person who is a party to the contract from engaging in written, verbal, or pictorial reviews, or other similar performance assessments or analyses of, the products, services, or conduct of a business that is a party to the contract; (2) imposes penalties or fees against such a person for engaging in such communications; or (3) assigns or provides an exclusive license, or requires such a person to assign or provide an exclusive license, to any of the person's intellectual property rights in such communications. (Thus, bars certain contract provisions that prohibit consumers from commenting publicly about businesses.)

Sets forth exceptions under which a provision shall not be considered void under this Act if the provision prohibits disclosure of certain: (1) trade secrets or commercial or financial information, (2) personnel and medical files, or (3) law enforcement records.

Provides for this Act to be inapplicable to contracts establishing an employer-employee or independent contractor relationship.

Prohibits businesses from offering or entering into form contracts containing a provision that is considered void under this Act. Treats violations by businesses as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Sets forth authority for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to enforce such violations.

]]> Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014 Display Title Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014 Official Title as Introduced To prohibit contracts that prohibit consumers from making certain public comments on businesses. Introduced in House IH Short Titles as Introduced Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014 Introduced in House 2014-09-16T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-113hr5499ih/xml/BILLS-113hr5499ih.xml 2014-09-19 Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.