Fashion Originators' Guild of America v. Federal Trade Commission

The Fashion Originators' Guild of America (FOGA) (defendant), whose members made up 38 to 60 percent of relevant dressmaking market segments, sought to stop competitors from copying its members' original designs and selling cheaper knockoffs, conduct FOGA considered unethical but which was not illegal under federal intellectual-property law. To combat it, FOGA organized a coordinated threat to boycott any retailer that sold competing knockoff garments. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (plaintiff) issued a cease-and-desist order against the boycott, which the court of appeals affirmed, and FOGA sought Supreme Court review.