iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Will AI agents upend the subscription economy? What happens to retail media when machines do the shopping? How do we make consumer law “agent-ready”? Will there be an “agentic divide”? Read more on our website: consumerlaw.berkeley.edu/news/muse-ab...

consumerlaw.berkeley.edu

"Muse About Agentic AI" with Christoph Busch | Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

This week, Center friend and close collaborator Christoph Busch visited Berkeley Law for an engaging lunch talk on the implications of Agentic AI for consumer markets and consumer law. The discussion revolved around these four questions:

“Muse about Agentic AI” with Professor Christoph Busch from the University of Osnabruk (Director of the European Legal Studies Institute and member of the EU Consumer Policy Advisory Group). Photo features Center staff and students as well as Christoph.

Top half shows Muse (agentic AI) shopping. The bottom half shows how an AI might see an online store (as just lines of code).

A full room listening attentively to Christoph during the lunch talk.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Thanks to @nationalconsumers.bsky.social, the National Consumer Law Center, Truth in Advertising (TINA.org), Fellow Julia Adams ‘27, and 24 other orgs. Read more here: consumerlaw.berkeley.edu/news/center-...

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

A disclosure notice doesn't cure the unfairness. We urge the FTC to ban personalized pricing where disclosure can't protect consumers, bar uses that violate anti-discrimination law, reinforce FCRA rights, and drop language disclaiming its own authority to prohibit it.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Surveillance Pricing Protections Must Go Further. The UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice and @nationalconsumers.bsky.social filed a comment for 27 nonprofits urging the FTC to go beyond requiring disclosure.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Rohit Chopra, inaugural Secretary of the BCSA and former Director of the CFPB, visited Berkeley Law this week, calling on students to live up to California’s track record of innovation to tackle the pressing consumer protection, privacy, and antitrust challenges of our day.

“Secretary Rohit Chopra Visits Berkeley Law.” From left to right, Professor Abbye Atkinson (Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Research), Secretary Rohit Chopra (BCSA and CFPB), and Director Ted Mermin (Executive Director of the Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice).

Two dynamic photos stacked on top of each other with Professor Atkinson and Secretary Chopra. In the text, “Rohit Chopra is the inaugural Secretary of the Business and Consumer Services Agency (BCSA). He also served as the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from 2021-2025.

From a student’s perspective of the packed room. In text, “More than 150 students, staff, and faculty attended the lunchtime event. It was a great turnout with a wonderful live Q&A.”

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Just a note from your friendly neighborhood Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice that @lastweektonight.com this week features an episode on Subscriptions that is positively riddled with friends of the Center. It is worth, as Mr. Oliver might say, a gander.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The Court’s ruling could affect disputes involving virtually every product bought for personal, family or household use. The brief urges the California Supreme Court to give effect to the legislature’s determination that certain rights are fundamental and cannot be waived.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

This situation isn't hypothetical. Companies are using contracts to strip consumers of rights they can't legally waive. That’s why earlier this week, the Center, alongside Gibbs Mura, filed an amicus brief in the California Supreme Court in Lathrop v. Thor Motor Coach.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Imagine your motorhome breaks down. You think California's lemon law protects you. But the fine print in the warranty you signed says you waive your right to a jury trial and must sue in Indiana, under Indiana law, where the lemon law doesn't even cover motorhomes.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Publication of Phan is an important step toward stronger worker protections and clearer limits on overreaching employment arbitration agreements. More information (the decision and our publication request) on our website: consumerlaw.berkeley.edu/news/center-...

consumerlaw.berkeley.edu

Center Welcomes Publication of Decision Affirming Workers' Access to Court | Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The published opinion holds that employers cannot force workers into sweeping arbitration clauses covering claims involving affiliated third parties. It also extends key protections recognized in Cook v. University of Southern California to California's Third Appellate District.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Big win for California workers! The Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice celebrates the publication of Phan v. Knight Sacramento SU Inc., an important California Court of Appeal decision protecting workers from overly broad arbitration agreements.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Why letting real people hold corporations accountable in court is essential for #StateCapacity (w/ Ben Kaufman, Harvard Civil Rights - Civil Liberties Law Review) journals.law.harvard.edu/crcl/want-st...

journals.law.harvard.edu

Want “State Capacity”? That Means Private Rights of Action. – Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Regulators, courts, and consumers. This month, Berkeley Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice Senior Fellow Seth Frotman published three incisive essays on where corporate accountability is breaking down — and how to fix it. #ConsumerProtection #CorporateAccountability

Alt Text: Seth Frotman, Senior Fellow at the UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, is featured with writing that says, “July 2026 Publications” and lists below the 1) The Capitol Forum, 2) Harvard Civil Rights — Civil Liberties Law Review, and 3) Yale Journal on Regulation.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

State AGs are stepping up where federal enforcement has stepped back. Capitol Forum quotes our Policy Director Shelmun Dashan on CA AG Bonta's first-of-its-kind Affordability Response Team — created to crack down on price gouging & fraud. Read article here: lnkd.in/ekS63t2b

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Part 2 of #AffordableNYCNow project is out! This part focuses on ready-to-go policies @mayor.nyc.gov can use to hold corporations accountable & make NYC more affordable for families. We contributed, “Strengthening Worker and Consumer Protections Through City Procurement” rebrand.ly/NYCConsumer

rebrand.ly

Center publishes new paper, “Strengthening Worker and Consumer Protections Through City Procurement,” as part of NYC Mayor Mamdani’s Affordable NYC Now project | Center for Consumer Law & Economic Jus...

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

New data: Monthly debt payments have more than doubled in working-class NYC neighborhoods since 2018. @tcfdotorg.bsky.social & @protectborrowers.bsky.social launched #AffordableNYCNow—an economic agenda the Mamdani Admin can act on right now. protectborrowers.org/resource/aff...

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

New data: Monthly debt payments have more than doubled in working-class NYC neighborhoods since 2018. Today, @TCFdotorg & @borrowerjustice launched #AffordableNYCNow—an economic agenda the Mamdani Admin can act on right now. protectborrowers.org/resource/aff...

protectborrowers.org

Affordable NYC Now - Protect Borrowers

An agenda to lower costs, hold corporations accountable, and make government work for New Yorkers.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

1 in 3 workplace monitoring apps can track workers’ precise location even when the app is running in the background or after they’ve clocked out. Researchers are calling on regulators to examine whether bossware practices violate existing laws.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

“Bossware” apps aren't just watching workers, they're sharing their data with up to 145 third-party domains, including a Russian tech company. Researchers from four universities documented it: @KhouryCollege @CntrLawEconomy @VanderbiltU @BerkeleyLaw

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Reposted by Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice

UC Berkeley Law @ucberkeleylaw.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

“A.I. has nothing to do with tobacco and an algorithm has nothing to do with the way a cigarette is designed, but the law is built by analogy,” Ted Mermin, executive director of @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social tells @nytimes.com: nyti.ms/48SGxuv #BerkeleyLaw

nytimes.com

After Deaths, Lawsuits Against A.I. Companies Test a New Strategy

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

We will explore questions of fairness, discrimination, competition, privacy, and regulation as it relates to surveillance pricing & wages. Full schedule and Livestream links: bit.ly/UCCLRSymposium

Promotional graphic for the California Law Review Symposium titled "Surveillance Prices & Wages," set against a navy blue background with gold and white text. Keynote speaker is Samuel Levine, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Worker and Consumer Protection. Panelists represent organizations including the American Economic Liberties Project, California Attorney General's Office, Colorado Attorney General's Office, Columbia Law School, Cornell University, Fordham Law School, Groundwork Collaborative, Harvard Law School, Hausfeld LLP, Lieff Cabraser, New York State Office of the Attorney General, The American Prospect, Towards Justice, UC Berkeley Center for Law & Work, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley School of Information, UC Berkeley School of Law, UC Irvine School of Law, and UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice. The event takes place Friday, April 24, 2026, from 9:00am–4:30pm PT, available via livestream. An illustration shows a hand holding a smartphone displaying an eye with a dollar sign, symbolizing surveillance and pricing. Logos for UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, California Law Review, and UC Berkeley Center for Law and Work appear at the bottom.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Join us via livestream! Livestream Pt. 1, beginning 9:30am PT www.youtube.com/live/7aOU9_p... Livestream Pt. 2, beginning 2:15pm PT www.youtube.com/live/QD6O8_j... Full schedule: bit.ly/UCCLRSymposium

Promotional graphic for the California Law Review Symposium on "Surveillance Prices & Wages," hosted by UC Berkeley's Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, the California Law Review, and the Center for Law and Work. Event is Friday, April 24, 2026, 9:00am–4:30pm PT / 12:00pm–7:30pm ET, available via livestream. Features an illustration of a hand holding a phone displaying an eye with a dollar sign.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Four California courts of appeal have already pushed back on Limón. Askins is the next step — and the first case to challenge Limón on federal law grounds, on the very same statute. We'll keep fighting until the courthouse doors are open to all. #OpenDoorProject

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

That's not how our dual court system was designed to work. The Founders explicitly kept state courts open to all claims — including federal ones — precisely so that people always had somewhere to turn.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

That ruling relies on a 2022 decision — Limón v. Circle K — that broke from 150 years of CA legal tradition by importing strict federal standing requirements into state court. The consequence? Large corporations could freely violate federal law, as long as they avoid causing obvious financial harm.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Here's what's at stake: Mr. Askins' employer violated the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act — failing to provide required disclosures before running a background check. No one disputes that. But a California court threw out his case, ruling he lacked a sufficient "injury" because he got the job.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Keeping California's Courthouse Doors Open The Center, representing ten organizations serving low-income consumers, workers, tenants, and the elderly, has filed a brief in Askins v. CRST, fighting to ensure that California state courts remain accessible. Read more here: bit.ly/Askins

bit.ly

A Key Step in the Fight to Keep California Courthouse Doors Open to All | Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice

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Reposted by Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice

UC Berkeley Law @ucberkeleylaw.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Berkeley Law in the @newyorker.com: Article on C.F.P.B. recalls a @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social event "full of aspiring lawyers lured by free burritos" where Senior Fellows @srf1802.bsky.social & @saalevine.bsky.social discussed the "spectre of freewheeling fintech." www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

newyorker.com

Trump’s Reckless Gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

As the cost of living continues to spiral upward, the White House is dismantling the government agency built to protect Americans from financial ruin.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Today we filed a comment on behalf of 15 national groups and law student organizations urging the FTC to require disclosure whenever a business uses personalized algorithmic pricing. Pricing transparency isn't a partisan issue. It's a consumer protection issue.

rebrand.ly

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Data collected about YOU determines what YOU pay — for groceries, transportation, housing & more. Corporate profits go up. Your wallet suffers. Federal guardrails would require disclosure when these pricing models are used. This isn't about stopping innovation. It's about transparency.

rebrand.ly

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Are you paying more than your neighbor for the same product? Corporations are using AI & data harvesting to charge different customers different prices — and most people have no idea it's happening. It's called personalized algorithmic pricing. Read our full comment: rebrand.ly/FTCAIcomment

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Center Policy Director Shelmun Dashan - in her individual capacity and as Director of the Economic Justice Policy Advocates Conference (EJPAC) - testified persuasively against the bill.

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Consumer Protection Win in Oregon! Oregon consumer advocates defeated an industry bill, HB 4141, that aimed to gut Oregon's strong consumer protections against predatory debt settlement products. Read testimony here: rebrand.ly/ORHB4141 #ConsumerProtection

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

The Center filed an amicus brief for NTEU vs Vought, a case challenging efforts by Acting Director Vought and the Trump Administration to shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Read brief here: bit.ly/46DoEys

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

The CFPB was created after predatory lending wiped out $11 TRILLION in household wealth. Now the Trump Administration is trying to shut it down—letting banks off the hook while consumers lose protections. Read amicus brief by advocates to the full D.C. Circuit pushing back: bit.ly/46DoEys

bit.ly

“Debt Cancellation for Big Banks?” Advocates Say Shuttering the Consumer Watchdog Lets Wall Street Off the Hook While Families Pay the Price | Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Big win for consumers in California. Courts just ruled that breaking the law is enough to sue — even without proving damages. That keeps courthouse doors open and stops corporations from dodging accountability. A major step forward for economic justice. bit.ly/4rwh0Ot

bit.ly

Another Door Stays Open: California Courts Say Statutory Violations Are Enough to Sue | Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/01/ftc-submits-draft-anprm-related-negative-option-plans-omb-review

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Berkeley Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice @ucbconsumerlaw.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Big step from the FTC 👏 Reopening the #ClickToCancel rule + launching action on rental junk fees = real relief for consumers tired of hidden fees and subscription traps. We continue to work on behalf of organizations urging the #FTC & #CFPB to #ProtectConsumers: bit.ly/4k86vyg

bit.ly

Center Files Two Comments to the CFPB and FTC Advocating for Consumer and Civil Rights | Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice

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