<P> The Wheeler--Lea Act of 1938 is a United States federal law that amended Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act to proscribe "unfair or deceptive acts or practices" as well as "unfair methods of competition ." It provided civil penalties for violations of Section 5 orders . It also added a clause to Section 5 that stated "unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce are hereby declared unlawful" to the Section 5 prohibition of unfair methods of competition in order to protect consumers as well as competition . </P> <P> Until this amendment was passed, the Federal Trade Commission could only restrict practices that were unfair to competitors . This broadened the FTC's powers to include protection for consumers from false advertising practices . </P>

What was the purpose of the wheeler-lea act (1938)
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