Judge Issues Protective Order for Confidential Information in FTC's Case vs. Amazon

Discovery in the FTC’s fraud complaint vs. Amazon over Prime enrollment policies is likely to involve production of confidential and proprietary information "for which special protection may be warranted,” said U.S. District Judge John Chun for Western Washington Thursday in a signed protective order (docket 2:23-CV-00932), responding to a stipulated protective order by the parties. Chun’s order in the Seattle court doesn’t give “blanket protection” on all disclosures or responses to discovery, nor the protection it affords from public disclosure; use extends only to limited information or items entitled to confidential treatment under the applicable legal principles, it said. The order does not presumptively entitle parties to file confidential information under seal, he added. The availability of protection from the order doesn’t preclude a party from withholding information protected by any applicable privilege, and nothing in the order restricts a producing party's right to disclose or make use of its own documents or discovery or investigational material, the judge said.