The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has won a judgment against a publisher and conference organizer that has been widely viewed as predatory.
As reported in brief by Courthouse News Service, U.S. District of Nevada Judge Gloria M. Navarro ordered OMICS International to pay the U.S. government $50,130,810. Among other findings, Navarro writes:
The uncontroverted evidence in the record therefore demonstrates that Defendants have made numerous express and material misrepresentations regarding their journal publishing practices.
OMICS is
hereby permanently restrained and enjoined from making any representation, expressly or by implication, regarding the Impact Factor or Impact Score of any journal or publication, unless the representation is (a) non-misleading and (b) Clearly and Conspicuously discloses (1) whether the Impact Factor or Impact Score is calculated by Clarivate Analytics (or its successor) and (2) if the Impact Factor or Impact Score is not calculated by Clarivate Analytics (or its successor), who calculated that Impact Factor or Impact Score and how that Impact Factor or Impact Score is or was calculated.
Read the entire judgment here.
Following the suit’s filing in August 2016, The FTC won an initial ruling in September 2017, prohibiting OMICS from engaging in “deceptive practices” but not banning them from publishing or organizing conferences.
OMICS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hat tip: “Regret“
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Thanks for the h/t. I’m almost famous. 🙂
Good news against this fake Indian publisher
Interesting political fallout for a S. Korean participant OMICS’s conferences:
“Two of [South Korean] President Moon Jae-in’s nominees for minister jobs are no longer in the running because of alleged ethical lapses.
It’s the first time any of President Moon’s nominations have fallen through.
His nominee for science minister, Cho Dong-ho, had been criticized in his confirmation hearing for taking part in a scientific conference organized by a publishing company, OMICS International, widely believed to be fraudulent or even criminal.”
http://www.arirang.com/News/News_View.asp?nseq=234319
More coverage: https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/04/ftc-hits-predatory-scientific-publisher-with-a-50-million-fine/
Hurray. I wonder whether they can collect on the $50 million.
Even the FTC seems to indicate that it may not be possible to collect everything. As they state: “We will be as aggressive as we can to track down assets in the U.S.,” Mr. Ashe said. The agency has begun contacting Omics’ American banks, he added.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/science/predatory-journals-ftc-omics.html
FTC press release on the case;
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/04/court-rules-ftcs-favor-against-predatory-academic-publisher-omics
Several links to OMICS´s journals (https://www.omicsgroup.org/) are simply not working. I think they are gone forever.
Dear Team,
I am writing to share my experience as a victim of the practices of a potentially predatory journal. I submitted an article to Toxicology Open Access (ISSN: 2161-0495), which is published by OMICS International. Unfortunately, after submitting my work, I discovered that this journal is frequently cited as predatory, particularly due to its affiliation with OMICS, an organization known for its questionable practices.
Upon learning this, I immediately contacted the journal to request the withdrawal of my article before it went live. To my surprise, despite my withdrawal request, the article was published without my consent. Additionally, I received an invoice for publication fees amounting to 2918 euros, and they are threatening to increase the fees if I do not pay within 48 hours.
I want to emphasize that I was unaware of the predatory nature of this journal at the time of submission. In light of the information I have since uncovered, including the journal’s listing on Beall’s List of predatory journals, I consider myself to have been misled by their deceptive practices. Despite my requests, they refuse to retract my article unless I pay additional withdrawal fees.
I have consulted a lawyer regarding this situation and would greatly appreciate your advice or assistance on whether it is possible to have my article retracted without any fees, or how to report these practices to the relevant authorities. I am concerned about my academic reputation and wish to avoid being associated with this journal.
Thank you in advance for your attention and valuable assistance.
Sincerely,