WeightWatchers 2005 Annual Report Download - page 21
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Regulation
A number of laws and regulations govern our advertising, franchise operations and relations with
consumers, employees and other service providers in the countries in which we operate. The Federal
Trade Commission, or FTC, and certain states and foreign jurisdictions regulate advertising, disclosures
to consumers, privacy, consumer pricing or billing arrangements, and other consumer matters.
During the mid-1990s, the FTC filed complaints against a number of commercial weight
management providers alleging violations of federal law in connection with the use of advertisements
that featured testimonials, claims for program success and program costs. In 1997, we entered into a
consent order with the FTC settling all contested issues raised in the complaint filed against us. The
consent order requires us to comply with certain procedures and disclosures in connection with our
advertisements of services and products.
Since we operate our meetings business both in the United States and internationally, we are
subject to many distinct employment, labor and benefits laws in each country in which we operate,
including regulations affecting our employment practices and our relations with our employees and
service providers.
Laws and regulations directly applicable to communications or commerce over the Internet such as
those governing intellectual property, privacy, libel and taxation, are becoming more prevalent and
remain unsettled.
Employees and Service Providers
As of December 31, 2005, we had approximately 46,000 employees and service providers. We
consider our relations with our employees and service providers to be satisfactory.
Financial Information About Segments and Financial Information About Geographic Areas
Information concerning our operating segments and our geographic areas is set forth in Note 15 of
our Consolidated Financial Statements, contained in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
Available Information
Corporate information, press releases and our periodic reports (e.g. 10-K’s, 10-Q’s, 8-K’s) and
amendments thereto are available free of charge at www.weightwatchersinternational.com as soon as
reasonably practical after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC (i.e.,
generally the same day as the filing). Moreover, we also make available free of charge at that site the
Section 16 reports filed electronically by our officers, directors and 10 percent shareholders. Usually
these are publicly accessible no later than the business day following the filing.
Shareholders may request a free copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and our
Corporate Governance Guidelines at: Weight Watchers International, Inc., Attn: Corporate Secretary,
11 Madison Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10010, (212) 589-2700.
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