U N I T E D S T A T E SO F A M E R I C A

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

wASl ilNG'fON, D.('. 20580

Mr. S. M. Oliva,President
Citizensfor VotuntaryTrade
2000F StreetNW, #315
Washington,DC 20006

Re: FOrA-2005-00267
Ralnbus Case

DearMr. Oliva:

This is in responseto your 1111712004, requesting

comespondence access, underthe
Freedomof InformationAct ("FOIA"), to certaininformationfrom the RambusCase. In
accordancewith the FOIA and agencypolicy,we havesearched our recordsas of 01 2512005,
the
datewe received your requestin our FOIA office.

We havelocatedabout27 boxesof responsive records,almostall of which fall r,vithin

two of the exemptionsto the FOIA's mandatorydisclosurerequirements, as explainedbelow.
Accordingly,I am parliallygrantingandpartiallydenyingyour request.I am enclosinga copy of
the two pagesof accessiblerecords.

First,the responsivematerialis exemptfrom disclosureunderFOIA Exemption3, 5

U.S.C.$ 552(b)(3)'becausethey areexemptfrom disclosureby anotherstatute.Specifically,
Section2l(f) providesthat the FTC may not discloseinformationit obtainsin a law enforcement
investigationpursuantvoluntarilyin lieu of compulsoryprocess.15 U.S.C.$ 57b-2,seeA.
Michael'sPiano,Inc. v. FTC,18 F.3d 138(2d Cir. 1994).

Second,the recordsare exemptfrom disclosureunderFOIA Exemption7(A), 5 U.S.C.

$ 552(b)(7XA), becausedisclosureof that materialcouldreasonablybe expectedto interferewith
the conductof the Commission'slaw enforcement activities.SeeRobbinsTire & RttbberCo. v.
MRB, 437 U.S. 214(1978).

If you arenot satisfiedwith this responseto your request,you may appealby writing to
Irreedomof InformationAct Appeal,Office of the GeneralCounsel,FederalTradeCommission,
600 PennsylvaniaAvenue, N.W., WashingtonD.C. 20580,within 30 daysof the dateof this
letter. Pleaseenclosea copy of your originalrequestanda copy of this response.If you believe
that we shouldchooseto discloseadditionalmaterialsbeyondwhat the FOIA requires,please
explainwhy this would be in the public interest.
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 UNITEDSTATESOF AMERICA
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON.
D.C.20580

Office of the
GeneralCounsel

JuneI,2005

S.M. Oliva, President

Citizensfor VoluntaryTrade
PostOffice Box 100073
Arlington,VA 22210

Re: Freedomof InformationAct Appeal

RambusCase
FOIA RequestNo. 2005-00267

Dear Mr. Oliva:

This respondsto your April 14,2005,appealof Ms. JoanFina's partial denial of your
requestunderthe Freedomof InformationAct ("FOIA"), 5 U.S.C. $ 552. My office received
your appealletter on April 19, 2005. By letter datedMay 17, 2005, I extendedthe time for
deciding the appealby 10 working daysin order to retrieve and appropnatelyexaminethe
voluminousamountof separate anddistinctrecords.See16 C.F.R.$$ 4.11(aX1)(iiiXB)and
(a)(2Xii)(B);5 u.s.C. $ 552(a)(6)(B).

In your initial requestletter,datedNovember l'7,,2004,you had requestedaccessto "any

and all documents,relevantto the Rambuscase,that meetthe following descriptions:

" 1. Communicationsdatedon or before June 26, 2002, by and betweenFIC staff and
any officer, employee,agent,or counselof Micron Technology,Inc., Hynix
Semiconductor,Inc., or InfineonTechnologiesAG;

"2. Communicationsby and betweenFTC staff and CongressmanC.L. "Butch" Otter, or

any memberof the congressman'sstaff or campaigncommittee;and

"3. A list of any outsidecontractorshired by FTC staff, including a descriptionof the

servicesprovidedby the contractorsand the amountof their compensation."

By letter datedMarch 15, 2005,Ms.Fina partially grantedand partially deniedyour

request.Ms. Fina providedyou with two pagesof responsiverecords(a charttitled "Rambus
Consultantsand Cost"). Ms. Fina withheld approximately2J boxesof responsivedocuments
underFOIA Exemption3, 5 U.S.C.$ 552(bX3),by virtue of Section2I(0 of the FTC Act, 15
U.S.C.$57b-2(0,andFOIA Exemption7A, 5 U.S.C.$ 552(b)(7XA).
Mr. S.M.Oliva Page2

You limited your appealto documentsfalling into the first categoryof your initial
request.Someof the documentsthat arecoveredby that first categoryarenow on the public
recordbecausethey areincludedwithin the 50 additionalboxesof documentsthat havebeen
releasedto the public recordin the caseof In the Matter of Rambus. A formal FOIA requestis
not necessary to obtainmaterialthat is on the public record. Given the extraordinaryvolume of
documentsin this matter,the Commissionis making the public materialsmore readily accessible
on four computerdisks. I haveencloseda copy of threeof thesedisks,and I will forward the
fourth as soonas it is available. The Secretary'soffice haswaived the cost of the disksto you.

I haveenclosedthreeadditionalpagesof responsivedocuments,which are also on the

public record.

A significant portion of the recordsthat are responsiveto the first categoryof your
request,however, arenot on the public record. I am denyingyour appealwith respectto those
recordsbecauseI agreewith Ms. Fina's determinationthat the materialshewithheld is protected
by the FOIA.

First, all of the withheld documentsareexemptfrom disclosureunderFOIA Exemptions

7(A) and7(D), 5 U.S.C.$$ 552(bX7XA)and (D), becausedisclosureof that materialcould
reasonablybe expectedto interferewith the conductof the Commission'slaw enforcement
activities. SeeRobbinsTire & Rubber Co. v. NLRB,437 U.S. 214 (1978). Contraryto what you
suggestin your appeal,the Commission'slaw enforcementproceedingagainstRambusis
ongoingbecausethe Commissionhasnot yet issueda final decisionand order and further
administrativehearingshavenot beenforeclosed.Accordingly,the Commission'sproceeding
againstRambuswould be harmedby the prematurereleaseof evidenceor information.

Second,most of the withheld documentsareprotectedfurther by FOIA Exemption3,

which exemptsfrom mandatorypublic disclosurematerialprotectedby statutesotherthan the
FOIA, includingFIC Act Sections2l(b) and (f). SectionzI(b) prohibitspublic disclosureof
informationthat was obtainedundercompulsoryprocessin connectionwith a Commissionlaw
enforcementinvestigation.Section2I(f) exemptsfrom FOIA recordsobtainedby the
Commissionpursuantto compulsoryprocess,or voluntarily in lieu of process.SeeA. Michael's
Piano,Inc.v.FTC,18F.3d I38(2dCir.1994). Mostof thedocumentsMs.Finawithheldwere
providedto the Commissionpursuantto compulsoryprocessor voluntarily in lieu of process.I
have determinedin fact, that there are up to 423 boxes of recordsreceivedpursuantto
compulsoryprocess,althoughsomeof thesedocumentsmay havebeenreceivedafter June26,
2002 and would not be responsiveto your request.As explainedabove,thesedocumentsare
exemptfrom disclosureunderFOIA Exemption3, and Sectron2I(b) of the FTC Act prohibits
public disclosureof them.

You assertthat it is in the public interestto disclosethe documentsbecauseof the

"exceptionalcircumstancesof the Rambuscase." However,many of the withheld documents
cannotbe releasedbecauseFTC Act SectronZI(b) prohibitspublic disclosureof informationthat
was obtainedundercompulsoryprocess.To the extentI have discretionto releasethe remaining
Mr. S.M. Oliva Page3

exemptdocuments,I must weigh the public interestin disclosureagainstthe public interestin

nondisclosure.Nondisclosurewould servethe strongpublic interestin preventingharm to the
Commission'slaw enforcementactivities. In my judgment,the likely harm of releasingthe
responsivematerialin this caseoutweighsany public interestin releasingit at this time.
Accordingly,I am denyingyour requestfor discretionaryrelease.

Finally, I am denyingyour requestthat I exercisemy discretionto refer this appealto the

Commissionfor determination.The applicationof the FOIA in this casedoesnot raiseany
unusualor difficultissues.See16 C.F.R.$ 4.11(a)(2)(iiixA).

As requiredby the FOIA, you areherebyadvisedthatjudicial review of this decisionmay

be obtainedunder5 U.S.C. $ 552(d@)(B),in aUnited StatesDistrict Court in the district where
you resideor haveyour principal placeof business,or in the District of Columbia. Also, as
requiredby the FOIA, you are herebyadvisedthat I am the designatedofficial responsiblefor
this partial denial of your appeal.

Sincerely,

William Blumenthal
GeneralCounsel

Enclosures