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.
Copiague (pronounced KOH-peg) is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 18,037 at the 2007 census. Once Copiague was a thriving Italian community. Many years ago a part of Copiague was named after Marconi. The ethnic makeup of the hamlet is quite diverse, making Copiague a rich cultural nexus. North Amityville is on one of Copiague's borders and uses Copiague Schools. Copiague is an unincorporated place within the Town of Babylon.