Consumer protection refers to the laws designed to aid retail consumers of goods and services that have been improperly manufactured, delivered, performed, handled, or described. Such laws provide the retail consumer with additional protections and remedies not generally provided to merchants and others who engage in business transactions, on the premise that the consumers do not enjoy a sufficient bargaining position with respect to the businessmen with whom they deal and therefore should not be strictly limited by the legal rules that govern recovery for damages among businessmen. The overarching goal is to protect individuals and the interest of the public in general from unfair and misleading activity in business and commerce (such as false advertising and deceptive trade practices) and scams perpetrated by criminals (such as identity theft and pyramid schemes) that harm a substantial number of consumers.
Lisbon is a locality located in western Howard County in the state of Maryland in the United States, located roughly between Baltimore and Frederick and north of Washington, D.C.. It is roughly one square mile. Lisbon is located along Interstate 70 and Maryland Route 144 and is home to the first traffic circle in Maryland. The above photograph is the National Road, looking East toward Baltimore. The road between the two houses runs north 2 miles to Woodbine, where the Patapsco River and the B&O Railroad cross the road. About one mile north of Lisbon exists the original road that ran from Baltimore to Fredrick. This road runs west toward Poplar Springs and east toward Sykesville. The exact route of this road is not discernible at this time.