A “click-to-cancel” rule, which would have required businesses to make it easy for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions and memberships, has been blocked by a federal appeals court just days before it was set to go into effect.
The Federal Trade Commission's proposed changes, adopted in October, required businesses to obtain a customer's consent before charging for memberships, auto-renewals and programs linked to free trial offers.
The FTC said at the time that businesses must also disclose when free trials or other promotional offers will end and let customers cancel recurring subscriptions as easily as they started them.
The administration of President Joe Biden included the FTC’s proposal as part of its “Time is Money” initiative, a governmentwide initiative that was announced last year with the aim of cracking down on consumer-related hassles.
The FTC rule was set to go into effect on Monday, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said this week that the FTC made a procedural error by failing to come up with a preliminary regulatory analysis, which is required for rules whose annual impact on the U.S. economy is more than $100 million.
The FTC claimed that it did not have to come up with a preliminary regulatory analysis because it initially determined that the rule's impact on the national economy would be less than $100 million. An administrative law judge decided that the economic impact would be more than the $100 million threshold.
The court decided to vacate the rule.
“While we certainly do not endorse the use of unfair and deceptive practices in negative option marketing, the procedural deficiencies of the Commission's rulemaking process are fatal here,” the court wrote.
The FTC declined to comment on Wednesday.
The agency is currently moving forward with its preparations for a trial involving Amazon’s Prime program. The trial stems from a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit that accused Amazon of enrolling consumers in its Prime program without their consent and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.
The trial is expected to take place next year.
FILE - The logos for streaming services Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Sling TV are pictured on a remote control on Aug. 13, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
BERLIN (AP) — Martin Terrier scored a contender for goal of the season as Bayer Leverkusen defeated local rival Cologne 2-0 in their 73rd Bundesliga derby on Saturday.
Arthur’s cross from the right was behind Terrier, but the French forward dropped down and looped the ball in over Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe with the back of his heel to break the deadlock in the 66th minute.
Robert Andrich headed in from Aleix Garcia’s corner six minutes later to seal the win.
Leverkusen was without key players Patrik Schick and Álex Grimaldo but still boasted enough talent to create the greater chances against the visitors, who had injury-enforced absences of their own.
The win kept Leverkusen in fourth place, the last for Champions League qualification.
Ritsu Doan scored for Eintracht Frankfurt to end its four-game winless run across all competitions with a 1-0 win over Augsburg.
The Japan forward took the ball past two Augsburg defenders and unleashed his shot before he was closed down by two more. The deflection from a retreating defender took the ball beyond Finn Dahmen in the Augsburg goal in the 68th minute, setting off relief-tinged celebrations around the stadium.
Noahkai Banks briefly spoiled the mood when he equalized late, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check. It was the second goal that was ruled out for offside for the visitors in the game.
Frankfurt lost narrowly at Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, after it was routed 6-0 at home by Leipzig in its previous game.
“The lads tried with all they had left in the tank,” Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller said of his team's busy schedule. “They were lacking that bit of freshness. It's been a grueling six months.”
St. Pauli overcame a harsh sending off to end its 10-game winless run with a 2-1 victory over relegation rival Heidenheim.
Pauli had Eric Smith sent off before the break when referee Sören Storks penalized him for a foul on Marvin Pieringer as the last defender, though TV replays showed the Heidenheim forward made the most of light contact and threw himself to the ground. There was no VAR intervention.
Martijn Kaars had already put Pauli ahead, and he stunned the visitors by scoring the second against the run of play early the second half.
Pieringer pulled one back later, but Pauli held on for its third league win of the season.
Wolfsburg’s revival under interim coach Daniel Bauer continued with a 3-1 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. It stretched the team’s unbeaten run to three games.
Hoffenheim defeated promoted Hamburger SV 4-1 for its fourth straight home win.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Leverkusen's Martim Terrier celebrates after he scored the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and 1.FC Cologne in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Leverkusen's Martim Terrier celebrates after he scored the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and 1.FC Cologne in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
St. Pauli's Martijn Kaars celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Heidenheim in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marcus Brandt/dpa via AP)
Frankfurt's head coach Dino Toppmoeller, left, gives instructions during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)
Frankfurt's Rasmus Kristensen celebrates at the end of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)
Frankfurt's Ritsu Doan, left, and Augsburg's Han-Noah Massengo, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)
Frankfurt's Ritsu Doan celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FC Augsburg in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)
