FTC Extends Public Comment Period on Its Proposed Rule to Ban Noncompete Clauses Until April 19

The Federal Trade Commission voted to extend the public comment period for its proposed new rule to ban employers from imposing noncompetes on their workers. With the extension, the FTC will now be accepting comments on the proposed rule until April 19. Originally, the  deadline for submitting comments was March 20.

The proposed rule, announced by the FTC in January of this year, is based on a preliminary finding that noncompetes constitute an unfair method of competition and therefore violate Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Information on how to submit comments can be found in the Federal Register notice.

The Commission vote approving the public comment period extension was 4-0, with Commissioner Christine S. Wilson issuing a concurring statement.