Retail & E-Commerce

  • February 11, 2025

    High Court Urged To Skip Amazon Patent Program Fight

    A maker of electric outlet covers has told the U.S. Supreme Court that a jurisdictional victory it scored last year at the Federal Circuit over patent infringement allegations initially brought through Amazon's patent evaluation program was "unremarkable" and should not be considered further.

  • February 11, 2025

    Orion Telescope Partly Revives $4M Fraudulent Transfer Suit

    A California appellate court on Monday partially revived Orion Telescope's suit accusing rival Celestron Acquisition of orchestrating a fraudulent $4.2 million transfer to help another company avoid paying a judgment owed to Orion, ruling that Orion indeed adequately alleged conspiracy or aiding and abetting a fraudulent transfer.

  • February 11, 2025

    Logan Paul Co. Won't Fight Messi's Absence In Drink IP Suit

    Logan Paul's company told a New York federal judge it won't object to Lionel Messi's absence in an upcoming settlement conference in a trademark dispute due to the soccer legend's unavailability, after Messi's counsel claimed Monday the demand for the athlete's attendance appears to be designed "solely to harass" him.

  • February 11, 2025

    Patent Attys Can Be Liable For Fees Too, Justices Told

    The tech and retail industries are endorsing an effort by Dish Network aiming to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to potentially expand the personal liability of lawyers who file failed patent cases that are found to be "exceptional" by the courts. 

  • February 11, 2025

    PFAS Litigation Finds A New Frontier: Consumer Products

    Smartwatch wristbands, adhesive bandages, tampons and juice containers — what do they all have in common? In a growing trend, plaintiffs attorneys allege the products contain toxic forever chemicals and that manufacturers misled consumers about it.

  • February 11, 2025

    FTC Says Small Stores Pay Southern Glazer's Up To 67% More

    The Federal Trade Commission's price discrimination case against Southern Glazer's accuses the wine and spirits distributor of routinely charging small retailers up to 67% more for the same products as large chain stores, according to newly unsealed redactions.

  • February 11, 2025

    Conn. High Court Won't OK Claims Of Relational Loss Of Child

    The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state law does not recognize a cause of action for loss of filial consortium, answering a question from a federal judge who was overseeing a product liability case against Target Stores Inc. and the maker of an infant car seat that caught fire, severely injuring a baby.

  • February 11, 2025

    Olaplex Can't Escape IPO Investors' Formula Change Suit

    Olaplex and some of its executives must face investor claims that the company's initial public offering documents did not disclose the European Union had banned a controversial ingredient known as lilial, which would impact Olaplex's main product offering, but the IPO underwriters and selling stockholders were allowed to escape the suit.

  • February 11, 2025

    Former Marvel Exec Sues Disney For 'Old White Guy' Bias

    The former co-president of Marvel Entertainment has filed a discrimination lawsuit in California state court alleging he was passed over for a promotion to lead the consumer products division of parent company Disney because he is an "old white guy."

  • February 11, 2025

    DC Circ. Won't Pause Google Search Case For Apple Appeal

    The D.C. Circuit refused to pause the government's search monopolization case against Google while Apple appeals a ruling that denied its bid to participate in a coming April trial meant to determine what remedies to impose on Google for violating antitrust law.

  • February 11, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Revives Patent Suit Against Groupon

    A Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruling that invalidates some claims of a patent does not prevent the patent owner from asserting different claims in court, the Federal Circuit has ruled, finding that a lower court wrongly dismissed a patent suit against Groupon Inc.

  • February 11, 2025

    Plaintiff Firm Sues More THC Makers In Potency Class Action

    A pair of attorneys has hit another set of cannabis companies with a proposed class action in Illinois federal court, alleging they are selling goods that go beyond state limits on THC in cannabis-infused products.

  • February 11, 2025

    Starbucks Fights Fla. Defamation Suit Over Atty's Statements

    Coffee giant Starbucks Corp. wants out of a lawsuit brought by a patent-licensing company executive's defamation lawsuit, arguing its attorney was not speaking for the company when she made allegedly defamatory statements in an October news article.

  • February 11, 2025

    Jones Day Gets Amazon Atty For Energy Practice In Houston

    Jones Day has hired an attorney who previously worked as senior corporate counsel at Amazon and as an in-house lawyer for Chevron Phillips Chemical to strengthen its energy practice group.

  • February 11, 2025

    Lane Bryant Worker Can't Get $1.15M Wage Deal OK'd

    A California federal judge refused to greenlight a $1.15 million deal that would have resolved a stylist's Private Attorneys General Act suit against fashion company Lane Bryant, saying the settlement does not disincentivize the company from acting illegally and devalues the wage and hour claims.

  • February 10, 2025

    Judge Refuses To Certify '70s Rockers' Royalty Class Action

    A Tennessee federal judge on Monday denied class certification in a breach of contract lawsuit by two members of the 1970s pop-rock band Orleans, John Hall and Lance Hoppen, who accused Warner Music Group Corp. and subsidiary Elektra Entertainment of underpaying foreign digital streaming royalties.

  • February 10, 2025

    Apple Urges 9th Circ. Not To Revive Web App Antitrust Suit

    Apple asked the Ninth Circuit on Friday to affirm a lower court's dismissal of a case from iPhone buyers accusing it of violating antitrust law by preventing iPhones from running web-based apps, saying the suit alleges a "highly indirect and speculative" harm that's not even an antitrust injury.

  • February 10, 2025

    FTC Can't Get Cap On Meta's Up To 86 Antitrust Trial Witnesses

    A D.C. federal judge refused Monday to limit the number of witnesses in the Federal Trade Commission's monopolization lawsuit against Meta Platforms, rejecting agency assertions that plans by the Facebook parent company for up to 86 witnesses are "unreasonable."

  • February 10, 2025

    Amazon Used App Toolkit To Harvest User Data, Suit Says

    Amazon has used Candy Crush Saga, Subway Surfers and other mobile apps as a "Trojan Horse" to ingrain secret tracking mechanisms in hundreds of millions of consumers' smartphones through a software development kit for developers, according to a new proposed class action in Seattle federal court.

  • February 10, 2025

    Apple Pushes DC Circ. To Pause Google Search Case

    Apple told the D.C. Circuit on Monday it did not become clear that it needs to intervene in the government's search monopolization case against Google until enforcers proposed remedies that affected Apple's conduct too.

  • February 10, 2025

    Insurer Says No Coverage Owed For Toxic Hair Product Suit

    The makers of a hair straightening treatment do not have coverage for a lawsuit alleging the product is carcinogenic because the claims against them came after the treatment was known to be hazardous, and after the policy had ended, an insurer told a California federal court.

  • February 10, 2025

    Fighting Cancer Has Impaired Life, Zantac Plaintiff Testifies

    One of the men retrying his Zantac cancer claims in Illinois testified Monday that fighting his illness has meant navigating negative side effects and missing the full family life he previously enjoyed.

  • February 10, 2025

    BCLP Received Improper OK To Challenge Ga. Fee Ruling

    A Georgia state appeals court said Monday that it improperly gave Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP the green light to appeal a trial court ruling ordering the firm to return more than $125,000 in connection to a dispute between an Atlanta attorney and an airport travel spa operator.

  • February 10, 2025

    DC Judge Won't Stop Shein's Copyright Takedowns On Temu

    A D.C. federal judge declined to block fast fashion giant Shein from inundating rival online retailer Temu with copyright takedown requests, finding Temu's claimed injury was economic and thus not irreparable.

  • February 07, 2025

    NC Judge Knocked By Fed. Circ. For Rushing Patent Trial

    A Federal Circuit panel on Friday stripped a patent case over respiratory treatment devices away from a North Carolina federal judge, with the appeals court reversing a noninfringement verdict that came out of a jury trial he oversaw and finding that it was at least the second time the judge "did not intend to manage a fair trial."

Expert Analysis

  • Finding Coverage For Online Retail Privacy Class Actions

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    Following recent court rulings interpreting state invasion of privacy and electronic surveillance statutes triggering a surge in the filing of privacy class actions against online retailers, companies should examine their various insurance policies, including E&O and D&O, for defense coverage of these claims, says Alison Gaske at Gilbert LLP.

  • Trending At The PTAB: Obviousness In Director Reviews

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    Three July decisions from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office favoring petitioners indicate a willingness by the director to review substantive issues, such as obviousness, particularly in cases where the director believes the Patent Trial and Appeal Board provided incorrect or inadequate rationale to support its decisions, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • How Cos. Can Leverage IP In Corporate Bankruptcy

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    In light of an increase in year-to-date Chapter 11 filings, businesses must understand the importance and value of intellectual property in corporate bankruptcy and restructuring, from contributing to enterprise value, to providing leverage in negotiations and facilitating recovery, says Gregory Campanella at Ocean Tomo.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority

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    Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.

  • IP Hot Topic: The Intersection Of Trademark And Antitrust Law

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    Antitrust claims – like those in the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent case against Apple – are increasingly influencing trademark disputes and enforcement practices, demonstrating how antitrust law can dilute the power of a trademark, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • Avoiding Retail Bankruptcy As Economic Uncertainty Persists

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    Amid record retail bankruptcies and continued economic uncertainty in 2024, retailers can take specific steps like building stronger cash-flow models, managing inventory wisely and reassessing cost structures to avoid financial distress, say consultants at BRG.

  • Navigating The Uncertain Landscape Of Solar Tariffs

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    Solar cell and module manufacturers, exporters and importers must navigate an uncertain compliance landscape, given ongoing challenges to U.S. Department of Commerce antidumping and countervailing duty determinations, which have been mounted both by U.S. and non-U.S. manufacturers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

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    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • What BIPA Reform Law Means For Biometrics Litigation

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    A recently signed Illinois law amending the Biometric Information Privacy Act limits defendants' liability exposure on a per-scan basis and clarifies that electronic signatures constitute a valid written release, establishing additional issues that courts will need to address in future BIPA litigation, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process

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    Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.

  • Managing Credit Card Rewards Programs Amid Scrutiny

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    Renewed New York and federal interest in consumer protection issues associated with credit card rewards programs presages future regulatory enforcement and attention from plaintiffs attorneys, so issuers should focus on certain categories of consumer complaints and some compliance ambiguities, say Rich Zukowsky and Ella Beres at Davis Wright.

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