Retail & E-Commerce

  • October 02, 2024

    2nd Circ. Won't Nix Amazon Awards Against Chinese Sellers

    A pair of Chinese third-party sellers were unable to convince the Second Circuit to vacate arbitral awards favoring Amazon after the sellers allegedly bribed customers for positive reviews, with the appeals court rejecting their argument that the arbitrators manifestly disregarded the law.

  • October 02, 2024

    Schultz's Words To Starbucks Barista Are Illegal, NLRB Says

    Starbucks broke federal labor law when former CEO Howard Schultz told a pro-union worker they could "go work for another company" if they weren't happy at the coffee chain, the National Labor Relations Board concluded Wednesday, finding Schultz's "generic assurances against retaliation" didn't let the company off the hook.

  • October 02, 2024

    NY Judge Not Confused By Irish Butter Packaging

    The company behind the Kerrygold butter brand has failed to convince a federal judge in New York that consumers were confused by a smaller, newer Irish butter brand, per a ruling that called the businesses' respective packaging "markedly dissimilar."

  • October 02, 2024

    Fried Frank, DLA Piper Steer Commercial REIT's $251M Listing

    Shares of real estate investment trust FrontView began trading Wednesday after it priced a nearly $251 million initial public offering within its intended price range, with Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP advising the company and DLA Piper serving as counsel for the underwriters.

  • October 02, 2024

    Paul Weiss-Led Altor Nabs Majority Stake In CCM Hockey

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP-led Altor Equity Partners on Wednesday announced that its Altor Fund VI has nabbed a "significant majority" stake in hockey stick maker CCM Hockey.

  • October 02, 2024

    This Is L Can't Toss Tampon Misleading Labeling Suit

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday declined to toss a suit alleging that This Is L. Inc. misleads consumers by advertising its tampons as having no "chlorine bleaching, dyes or fragrances" when it includes a pigment.

  • October 02, 2024

    Steph Curry Card Suit Can Proceed, Texas Judge Rules

    Sports card grader Beckett Collectibles LLC must face a negligent misrepresentation lawsuit alleging it gave an unwarranted "9.5 gem mint" rating to a Steph Curry basketball card that had actually been altered and was later purchased for $168,000, a Texas federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

  • October 02, 2024

    3rd Firearms Co. Settles Conn. AG's 'Ghost Gun' Suit

    Another firearm firm has settled with Connecticut Attorney General William Tong to resolve his claims it was selling "ghost gun" components unlawfully in a deal that involves the company dissolving itself, handing over its web domain and deleting all of its social media, Tong announced Wednesday.

  • October 02, 2024

    'Netflix Of China' Beats Investor Suit Over Inflated User Claims

    China-based streaming service iQIYI, dubbed the "Netflix of China," and another streaming service, Baidu Inc., have beaten proposed shareholder class action suits alleging the companies falsely beefed up iQIYI's user metrics, causing stock price drops when the truth was later revealed in a short seller report.

  • October 02, 2024

    Supplement Co. Hits Back At TM Suit, Alleges Fake Reviews

    Supplement-maker Nutranext Business LLC failed to disclose that a doctor promoting its products is a paid influence, artificially inflated its positive reviews on Amazon and misrepresented a study that purports to show the benefits of using its products, according to new counterclaims filed by a competitor it sued for trademark infringement.

  • October 02, 2024

    GNC Wins $45M In Awards Against Asian Franchisees

    GNC Holdings LLC has said the International Centre for Dispute Resolution informed the health and wellness company of nearly $45 million it has won in arbitral awards against franchisees located in Singapore and the Philippines.

  • October 01, 2024

    From AI To Enviro: The Top Biz Bills Calif. Gov. Inked Into Law

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed hundreds of bills into law ahead of an Oct. 1 deadline, meaning major changes are on the horizon for employers, tech companies, healthcare providers and others doing business in the Golden State.

  • October 01, 2024

    Peloton Beats Investor Suit Over COVID-19 Sales For Good

    Peloton has won the permanent dismissal of a shareholder suit accusing it of intentionally misleading investors to believe that its COVID-19 spike in demand was sustainable, with a New York federal judge saying the investors have not "articulated sufficient factual allegations to carry their assertions beyond the speculative level."

  • October 01, 2024

    9th Circ. Cites 'Sunscreen' Song In Reviving Banana Boat Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday revived a proposed class action claiming Banana Boat sunscreen contains unsafe levels of benzene, citing a one-hit wonder from an Academy Award nominated director and saying a lower court judge erred by prematurely resolving disputed issues of fact and the merits of the consumer case.

  • October 01, 2024

    4 Firms Guide PE-Backed Polish Retailer's Expected $1.6B IPO

    Private equity-backed Polish convenience store giant Zabka Polska SA outlined plans Tuesday for an initial public offering estimated to raise 6.2 billion zloty ($1.6 billion), potentially Poland's largest listing in four years, under the guidance of four law firms.

  • October 01, 2024

    Gap Escapes Privacy Suit Over Email Tracking, For Now

    A California federal judge on Monday tossed a proposed class action alleging that the Gap Inc. invaded consumers' privacy by using tracking technology in its marketing emails without consent, saying the complaint doesn't plausibly allege that the software unlawfully captures content protected by state privacy law.

  • October 01, 2024

    Kroger Says Labor Costs Led To Price Hikes At Colo. Stores

    A Kroger Co. pricing director testified Tuesday that the company raised prices at eight Colorado stores that have little competition in order to cover higher labor and operational costs in those mountain communities, during a trial in the state's bid to block the grocer's proposed $24.6 billion merger with Albertsons.

  • October 01, 2024

    NJ Hotels Beat Room Price-Fixing Suit For Good

    Another algorithmic antitrust suit is off the table after a New Jersey federal judge said Monday that a room-rate proposed class action against Atlantic City casino-hotels has the same failings that doomed a case over room prices on the Las Vegas Strip.

  • October 01, 2024

    Google Ad Tech Trial: 15 Days On The Rocket Docket

    The Justice Department wrapped an extraordinary antitrust trial last week that left a Virginia federal judge pondering whether Google is even dominant in the display advertising placement technology market or just another player.

  • October 01, 2024

    Amazon Gets $47M Voice Patent Verdict Slashed By $7M

    Amazon was able to shave off about $7 million from a nearly $47 million verdict against it in a voice software technology patent case by a defunct startup after convincing a Delaware federal court that there was a hole in expert testimony over the online retail giant's Alexa software.

  • October 01, 2024

    Amex Sued By Merchants Over 'Anti-Steering' Rule

    American Express violates federal antitrust laws by effectively preventing nearly all businesses that accept credit cards from incentivizing customers to use other cards with lower fees, a proposed class action alleges.

  • October 01, 2024

    Starbucks Investor Suit Seems 'Premature,' Court Official Says

    A Washington appellate commissioner gave Starbucks another chance to end a shareholder suit accusing the company's leadership of turning a blind eye to union-busting by managers, saying the lawsuit appears "premature" since it mostly relies on unfair labor practice complaints that are still pending.

  • October 01, 2024

    NC Man Defends $1.6M Verdict Over Vape Battery Explosion

    A North Carolina man is asking a state appeals court to affirm his $1.6 million verdict in a suit against a distributor over injuries he suffered when a lithium-ion battery for his vape exploded in his pocket, saying there was plenty of evidence for the jury to conclude the distributor sold the battery in question.

  • October 01, 2024

    EBay Beats Gov't Claims Over Sale Of Polluting Products

    A New York federal judge Monday tossed a government lawsuit accusing eBay Inc. of hawking illegal automotive, paint removal and pesticide products, holding that the e-commerce giant does not meet the definition of a "seller" and has Section 230 immunity as a publisher of third-party content.

  • October 01, 2024

    Arkansas AG Says YouTube Addicts And Harms Youth Users

    The Arkansas attorney general has sued YouTube LLC, Google LLC and their parent company in state court, alleging that the YouTube platform is deliberately designed to addict youth users and shows them harmful content, leading to a mental health crisis that has cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.

Expert Analysis

  • The Trade And Tax Issues Behind US-Canada Digital Tax Clash

    Author Photo

    The new Canadian digital services tax recently went into effect despite objections from the U.S., a controversy that represents an unusual mix of trade and tax policy, and many companies have been pondering how it will affect their e-commerce businesses, says Damon Pike at BDO.

  • Secret Service Failures Offer Lessons For Private Sector GCs

    Author Photo

    The Secret Service’s problematic response to two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump this summer provides a crash course for general counsel on how not to handle crisis communications, says Keith Nahigian at Nahigian Strategies.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Honoring Your Learned Profession

    Author Photo

    About 30,000 people who took the bar exam in July will learn they passed this fall, marking a fitting time for all attorneys to remember that they are members in a specialty club of learned professionals — and the more they can keep this in mind, the more benefits they will see, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Opinion

    AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys

    Author Photo

    The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.

  • A Class Action Trend Tests Limit Of Courts' Equity Powers

    Author Photo

    A troubling trend has developed in federal class action litigation as some counsel and judges attempt to push injunctive relief classes under Rule 23(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure beyond the traditional limits of federal courts' equitable powers, say attorneys at Jones Day.

  • A Look At How De Minimis Import Rules May Soon Change

    Author Photo

    The planned implementation of executive actions focused on the de minimis rule as it applies to shipments means companies should use this interval to evaluate the potential applicability and impact of Section 301, Section 201 or Section 232 duties on their products, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Antitrust Issues To Watch Amid Google Ad Tech Trial

    Author Photo

    Regardless of the outcome of the U.S. Department of Justice's advertising technology antitrust suit against Google in Virginia federal court, matters ranging from market definition to unified pricing will likely have far-reaching implications for the digital advertising industry, competition and innovation, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • What To Know About Latest Calif. Auto-Renewal Law Update

    Author Photo

    While businesses have about nine months to prepare before the recently passed amendment to California's automatic renewal law takes effect, it’s not too early to begin working on compliance efforts, including sign-up flow reviews, record retention updates and marketing language revisions, say Gonzalo Mon and Beth Chun at Kelley Drye.

  • How Lucia, Jarkesy Could Affect Grocery Merger Challenge

    Author Photo

    While the Federal Trade Commission is taking a dual federal court and administrative tribunal approach to block Kroger's merger with Alberstons, Kroger's long-shot unconstitutionality claims could potentially lead to a reevaluation of the FTC's reliance on administrative processes in complex merger cases, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • How To Avoid Liability When Using Cookie Consent Managers

    Author Photo

    As companies attempt to comply with consumer protection laws by implementing cookie consent managers on their websites, they must be wary of separate legal risks that can stem from implementing or using these tools incorrectly, says Ian Cohen at LOKKER.

  • Basel Endgame Rules: A Change Is Coming

    Author Photo

    The Federal Reserve Board's recently announced recalibration of the Basel endgame proposal begins a critical chapter in the evolution of not only the safety and soundness of U.S. banks, but also of banks' abilities to lend and support American businesses and consumers, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Series

    Round-Canopy Parachuting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Similar to the practice of law, jumping from an in-flight airplane with nothing but training and a few yards of parachute silk is a demanding and stressful endeavor, and the experience has bolstered my legal practice by enhancing my focus, teamwork skills and sense of perspective, says Thomas Salerno at Stinson.

  • Why Now Is The Time For Law Firms To Hire Lateral Partners

    Author Photo

    Partner and associate mobility data from the second quarter of this year suggest that there's never been a better time in recent years for law firms to hire lateral candidates, particularly experienced partners — though this necessitates an understanding of potential red flags, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

    Author Photo

    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • How Labeling And Testing May Help Reduce PFAS Litigation

    Author Photo

    As regulators take steps to reduce consumers’ exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, companies can take a proactive approach to mitigating litigation risks not only by labeling their products transparently, but also by complying with testing and marketing standards, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!