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.
Earlville is a village in New York, United States. The population was 791 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jonas Earl, a canal commissioner. The Village of Earlville lies on the border between Madison County and Chenango County and is partly in each county. The village is in the Town of Sherburne and the Town of Hamilton. The east-west thoroughfare, Main Street, runs along the county line. The regionally famous Earlville Opera House Multi-Arts Center houses a Historic Landmark theater, two art galleries, an arts cafe, and an artisan gift shop.