Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced a settlement with AOL, one of the nation's largest Internet service providers, requiring the company to make significant changes in honoring consumer cancellation requests and further ordering refunds for consumers.

Yesterday, Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe filed an investigative demand with Fox Interactive Media, the parent company of the popular online social networking site Myspace.com. In December 2006 Myspace hired Sentinel Tech Holdings to develop a tool to check the site for registered sex offenders. Sentinel Tech's SAFE tool uncovered thousands of registered sex offenders with profiles on the site.

Today, the United States Supreme Court announced that it has agreed to review the case Rowe v. New Hampshire Motor Transport, 06-457 filed against the State of Maine by motor transport associations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. The associations challenged the 2003 Maine law that requires that internet tobacco retailers utilize carriers who take specific actions to ensure that packages containing tobacco products are not delivered to minors.Attorney General Steve Rowe stated "We are pleased that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this important case.

Attorney General Steve Rowe announced today that Maine and 25 other states, as well as the District of Columbia, have reached a settlement with Purdue Pharma regarding the narcotic pain medication OxyContin.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced the settlement of a civil enforcement action against the makers of the popular oral contraceptive product Ovcon. The lawsuit, joined by thirty-three other states and the District of Columbia, charged Warner Chilcott and Barr Pharmaceuticals with antitrust violations that have prevented generic versions of Ovcon from reaching the marketplace. As part of the settlement, Warner Chilcott will pay $5.5 million to Maine and the other litigating states.

Attorney General Steve Rowe announced today that as a condition of its acquisition of numerous Brooks and Eckerd retail pharmacy outlets, Rite Aid will be required to divest or spin off the Brooks Pharmacy located at 397 Water Street in Gardiner. The same agreement also applies to 22 other stores located in states from New Hampshire to Virginia. Rite Aid is acquiring the stores from a Canadian company, The Jean Coutu Group.

Attorney General Steven Rowe today announced that his office will launch a television program called "Consumer Matters" in an effort to better educate the people of Maine on how they can protect themselves in the marketplace. "The more information available to consumers, the better able they are to avoid getting hurt by unscrupulous practices, fraud and scams. "Consumer Matters" will act as another resource to help consumers protect themselves" Rowe stated.

Attorney General Steven Rowe advises individuals, businesses and other entities, including colleges and universities and State agencies, who maintain computerized data containing personal information, that effective January 31, 2007, they will become subject to the Notice of Risk to Personal Data Act, 10 M.R.S.A. S1346-1349 (Data Act). The Data Act requires notification to consumers when there has been a security breach of computerized data containing their personal information that could result in identity theft.

Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced a $90 million nationwide settlement with Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Company Ltd., resolving allegations that Samsung and most of the industry's other leading computer chip manufacturers fixed the prices of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM). DRAM is a type of computer chip used in all personal computers, servers, workstations and many other electronic devices.

The Maine Office of the Attorney General has joined a group of federal, state, and local government agencies and national consumer advocacy organizations to launch the ninth annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), February 4-10, 2007. NCPW highlights consumer education efforts in the fight against fraud across the nation and here in Maine. This year, NCPW's national organizers encourage everyone to read up and reach out to be an informed consumer. By gathering and sharing information, consumers can be more confident, savvy, and safe in the marketplace.