Retail & E-Commerce

  • December 06, 2024

    New Balance Hit With Patent Suit Over Track Cleats

    A Texas patent holder sued New Balance in Massachusetts federal court Friday, alleging that four models in New Balance's FuelCell SuperComp line of cleated running shoes are similar to its design for sneakers that include composite or laminate materials.

  • December 06, 2024

    Evenflo Nears Settlement In Booster Seat MDL

    Baby product maker Evenflo said Friday that it has reached an agreement in principle to settle multidistrict litigation alleging it made deceptive statements about the safety of its Big Kid booster seats.

  • December 05, 2024

    'Krank3d' TM Too Close To Rival 'Krank'd': 11th Circuit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday refused to disturb a lower court's decision temporarily barring energy drink maker Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals from using the trademark "Krank3d," agreeing with the district court that the mark appears to be too similar to a competitor's "Get Krank'd" trademark.

  • December 05, 2024

    Internet Archive Won't Take E-Book Fair Use To Justices

    The Internet Archive on Wednesday said it will not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on whether its practice of distributing copyrighted e-books for free without permission from some of the world's biggest publishers is excused by the Copyright Act's fair use doctrine.

  • December 05, 2024

    Texas Lt. Gov. Wants Ban On Hemp-Derived THC Products

    Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has unveiled legislation that looks to ban all forms of consumable THC, including hemp products that "might include unremovable, nonintoxicating trace amounts of delta-9 THC."

  • December 05, 2024

    Netgear Seeks Anti-Suit Injunction Over Huawei's Wi-Fi SEPs

    Netgear is urging a California federal judge to block Chinese router-maker Huawei Technologies from seeking injunctions through Wi-Fi patent infringement actions the company pursued in foreign courts, arguing that Huawei is trying to impose excessive royalty rates and is avoiding its commitment to license its patents on reasonable terms.

  • December 05, 2024

    Gov't Efficiency Push Is A 'New Day,' House Speaker Says

    House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., spoke excitedly Thursday about the new government efficiency operation helmed by billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and touted the budding bipartisan lineup of a congressional caucus that will work with it.

  • December 05, 2024

    Amazon Says Section 230 Shields Against Casino App Suit

    Amazon said Wednesday a federal judge should toss a proposed class action accusing the e-commerce giant of promoting and selling "social casino" apps that enable illegal gambling, arguing the company is immune under a federal law regulating internet content because it did not create the games.

  • December 05, 2024

    Judge Snubs Bid For $1M Bond On $22M 'Comfy' IP Verdict

    An Arizona federal judge on Wednesday rejected a retailer's bid to pay a $1 million bond while appealing a $22 million judgment against it for infringing the design patents of Cozy Comfort Co., the maker of the "Comfy" sweatshirt featured on "Shark Tank."

  • December 05, 2024

    Sports Collectibles Exec Gets 51 Months For Investment Fraud

    The owner of a Las Vegas sports memorabilia company was sentenced to four years and three months in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to lying to investors as part of a fraud scheme that prosecutors said funded a lavish lifestyle.

  • December 05, 2024

    SpaceX Seeks Astronomical $350B Value, And More Rumors

    SpaceX is in discussions for a transaction that could value the rocket and spacecraft maker at about $350 billion, the private equity owner of Crunch Fitness could sell the health club at a $1.5 billion value, and the management group looking to buy the Japanese owner of 7-Eleven may launch an IPO. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • December 05, 2024

    Macy's, Bank And Parking Garage Settle $2.7M Repair Fight

    Macy's Retail Holdings has resolved litigation against it by a bank and a parking lot operator over $2.7 million in repairs and maintenance fees needed at a nearby parking garage, according to a Thursday court filing.

  • December 05, 2024

    Audible's Expiring Membership Credits Illegal, Consumer Says

    Audible Inc. is the target of a proposed class action accusing the audiobook retailer of selling credits that expire after one year, in violation of Washington consumer law.

  • December 05, 2024

    FDA Warns 115 Retailers Over Unauthorized E-Cigarettes

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters to 115 retailers across the country for selling unauthorized e-cigarettes that appeal to youths, the agency said Thursday.

  • December 05, 2024

    Medical Pot Group Sues NY Over New $20M Licensing Fee

    The New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association Inc. is suing the state's cannabis regulators, saying a new $20 million fee to convert operators' licenses from medical to adult use is an unconstitutional and punitive tax aimed at keeping them out of the adult-use market.

  • December 05, 2024

    Amazon Can't Dodge Fired Worker's Disability Bias Suit

    Amazon can't escape a proposed class action brought by a former worker with cerebral palsy alleging the company reneged on promises to support disabled employees, a California federal judge ruled, stating he showed the company may have mishandled his requests for an assignment adjustment.

  • December 04, 2024

    Target Can't Escape Investors' Pride Month Merch Suit

    Target Corp. cannot escape claims alleging customer backlash over its 2023 LGBTQ-focused marketing campaign caused the retail giant's sales and stock price to decline, a Florida federal judge ruled Wednesday, finding that the investors have plausibly pled Target made misleading warnings about the risk of customer boycotts.

  • December 04, 2024

    Amazon, Others Settle With Calif. Over Ex-Criminal Hiring Bias

    The California Civil Rights Department has announced it has reached individual settlements with Amazon, Ikea, the Los Angeles Dodgers and other employers over allegations they unlawfully rejected otherwise qualified job applicants based on their criminal history.

  • December 04, 2024

    Acima Can't 'Outrace' CFPB To Texas Court, Utah Judge Says

    A Utah federal judge has smacked down a bid by Rent-A-Center affiliate Acima to move its fight against a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lawsuit to Texas, where the lease-to-own fintech filed a slightly earlier, preemptive challenge to the agency's jurisdiction that remains pending.

  • December 04, 2024

    Live Nation Shields Legal Strategy Emails From DOJ Scrutiny

    A Manhattan federal judge rejected the U.S. Department of Justice's bid to see emails between Live Nation Entertainment Inc. lawyers and counsel for arena operator Oak View Group, holding Wednesday that these communications discussed a joint legal strategy for the government's antitrust investigation.

  • December 04, 2024

    No Coverage For P&G Environmental Claims, Insurers Say

    A group of Hartford units told an Ohio federal court Wednesday they owe no coverage to Procter & Gamble Co. for three underlying lawsuits accusing the company of contaminating groundwater in New York, and for a separate warehouse fire in Michigan that caused the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to intervene.

  • December 04, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Allow Bookseller Group In FTC's Amazon Suit

    An independent bookstore association can't join the government's antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, the Ninth Circuit said Wednesday, with the panel's majority agreeing with the Federal Trade Commission and e-commerce giant that the trade group's allegations involve different anticompetitive conduct in different markets.

  • December 04, 2024

    9th Circ. Mulls Waiting To Weigh In On Amazon Suicide Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel Wednesday appeared open to waiting for the Washington Supreme Court to clarify the state's duty-to-warn statute before deciding whether to revive allegations Amazon.com negligently sold chemicals used in suicides while one judge observed that Amazon created an algorithm that recommended lethal product-mixes, "so it's intentional."

  • December 04, 2024

    Sephora Should Face Worker's Retaliation Suit, Judge Advises

    Sephora shouldn't get to toss a Latina former store manager's claims that she was fired for refusing to use a hiring strategy that would have prioritized white applicants, a Georgia federal judge recommended Wednesday, finding her retaliation lawsuit is detailed enough to stay in court.

  • December 04, 2024

    Starbucks Brass Face Derivative Suit Over 'Reinvention' Flop

    Officers and directors of coffee chain Starbucks are facing shareholder derivative claims over the company's so-called Triple Shot Reinvention strategy after the company disappointed the markets in April with updates about the plan.

Expert Analysis

  • Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools

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    A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.

  • 3 Patent Considerations For America's New Quantum Hub

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    Recent developments signal an incredibly bright future for Chicago as the new home of quantum computing, and it is crucial that these innovators — whose technology has the potential to transform many industries — prioritize intellectual property strategy, says Andrew Velzen at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

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    Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies

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    An analysis of insider trading policies recently disclosed by 49 S&P 500 companies under a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule reveals that while specific provisions vary from company to company, certain common themes are emerging, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • 11 Patent Cases To Watch At Fed. Circ. And High Court

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    As we head into fall, there are 11 patent cases to monitor, touching on a range of issues that could affect patent strategy, such as biotech innovation, administrative rulemaking and patent eligibility, say Edward Lanquist and Wesley Barbee at Baker Donelson.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

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    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

  • 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.

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