Both Photokina and Audio Photo are threatened with losing their licenses because of a long history of breaking consumer-protection laws, officials said.

"Unconscionable," he said, is a pivotal concept in consumer-protection laws.

In some countries, consumer-protection laws restrict the number of different prepackaged sizes in which certain products can be sold, in order to make it easier for consumers to compare prices.

Justice Stevens noted that in New York, the penalty for a first-time violation of the equivalent consumer-protection law is $50.

If diners complain to the department about being served surimi labeled on the menu as something else, Ms. Parrent said: "We might issue a violation under the consumer-protection law.

Responding to strong consumer-protection laws dating from the 70's, manufacturers increasingly treated household foam and plastics with brominated flame retardants.

Community group leaders are opposed to this proposed gutting of this law or of any other consumer-protection law.

Several state attorneys general have used consumer-protection laws to go after the sweepstakes business.

Retailers who originally opposed the consumer-protection laws have come to live with them.

These crimes include endangering the life or physical or mental health of a person, illegal practice of medicine, and fraud or falsification in violation of consumer-protection laws, among others.