Do you remember the hullabaloo a few years ago surrounding possible legislation that might hamstring a network marketer’s ability to prospect? In case you missed it, the concern was over proposed FTC rules that would require the disclosure of comparative information so extensive that it would bury even the most casual prospect with pounds of intimidating paperwork, effectively crippling the process.

Well, good news. The Federal Trade Commission recently announced that the “New Business Opportunity Rule” proposed two years ago, in April of 2006, has since been significantly revised.

According to the FTC notice, “The Business Opportunity Rule would still cover those schemes currently covered by the interim Business Opportunity Rule, and it would expand coverage to include work-at-home schemes.” Most significant to our businesses, the FTC goes on to say, “the revised proposal, however, would not reach multi-level marketing companies or certain companies that may have been swept inadvertently into scope of the April 2006 proposal.” (emphasis added)

Within the revised new rule it goes on to streamline the required discloser information by “eliminating requirements to disclose the number of cancellations and refund requests that a business opportunity seller receives or the litigation history of sales personnel.”

We don’t know who influenced this shift towards common sense, but for whomever it was, we have a message: Thank you.

(Thanks also to Art Jonak for alerting us about the notice.)