Retail & E-Commerce

  • November 12, 2024

    Web App Antitrust Suit Backed By Epic-Apple, 9th Circ. Told

    A proposed class of iPhone buyers urged the Ninth Circuit on Friday to revive their antitrust claims over Apple's barriers against advanced web-based apps, saying a California federal judge's dismissal order directly contradicts binding precedent from Epic Games' landmark monopoly suit against the tech giant.

  • November 12, 2024

    Roblox, WowWee Settle Avatar Toy Infringement Case

    Online game platform Roblox Corp. has agreed to drop a suit alleging WowWee Group Ltd. sold toys based on Roblox's avatars, saying the two companies have reached a settlement to end the trademark and copyright infringement case.

  • November 12, 2024

    Weedmaps Execs Named In Derivative Action Over SEC Fine

    Current and former executives and directors of Weedmaps' parent company face shareholder derivative claims following an investor class action and a regulator's fine over the digital cannabis marketplace's alleged use of "willfully inflated" user metrics.

  • November 12, 2024

    Tempur Sealy Merger 'Surprisingly Bold,' Competitor Testifies

    The CEO of a Utah-based mattress company told a Houston federal judge Tuesday that Tempur Sealy's proposed remedies under its $4 billion planned Mattress Firm purchase were "surprisingly bold" as the Federal Trade Commission began its case in opposition of the merger.

  • November 12, 2024

    Hertz Investors Urge Chancery Not To Toss Stock Warrant Suit

    An attorney for two Hertz Inc. institutional investors told a Delaware judge Monday that the vehicle rental giant relied on an impermissible reinterpretation of a warrant agreement to reject a redemption demand purportedly triggered by the company's post-Chapter 11 recapitalization.

  • November 12, 2024

    Designers Can Pursue RICO Claims Against Shein In IP Suit

    A California federal judge has ruled that a group of independent designers can pursue racketeering claims against Shein Distribution Corp. and other defendants in a lawsuit where the plaintiffs accuse the online retailer of copyright and trademark infringement for allegedly copying and selling the designers' works.

  • November 12, 2024

    Penn State TM Jury Asked To Ponder Sponsorship Confusion

    A central Pennsylvania federal jury will have to weigh whether consumers are likely to be confused by a Seattle-based online retailer's use of historic logos and art associated with Pennsylvania State University, with opening arguments Tuesday promising dueling experts on consumer surveys and interpretations of trademark law.

  • November 12, 2024

    Chipotle's Portions Are Eating Away Profits, Investor Suit Says

    Fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging the company downplayed concerns about meager portion sizes, an issue the company later acknowledged it would correct, sacrificing profitability.

  • November 12, 2024

    Valve Can't Speak Directly With Gamers In Antitrust Row

    A Washington federal judge has rejected a bid by Valve Corp. to directly contact 624 game buyers named in its suit seeking to block them from further arbitrating antitrust claims, saying the video game seller hasn't pointed to "exceptional circumstances" warranting the clearance to reach out to the defendants outside the presence of legal counsel.

  • November 12, 2024

    Pencil Importer Rebuts Commerce's Transformation Analysis

    A pencil importer told the U.S. Court of International Trade that the federal government was wrong to implement duties on pencils made from Chinese raw materials when they are made into finished products in the Philippines.

  • November 12, 2024

    Amazon Harassing Drivers Via Discovery Demand, Court Told

    Amazon is harassing delivery drivers with an overly broad request for documents, including a decade's worth of tax returns and cellphone records, and its request should be tailored to reflect that many claims in an 8-year-old lawsuit were recently nixed, the workers told a Washington federal court.

  • November 12, 2024

    Indian Food Delivery Giant Swiggy To Debut After $1.3B IPO

    Shares of Indian e-commerce giant Swiggy Ltd. are set to begin trading on Wednesday after the company priced a $1.3 billion initial public offering, marking the latest test of the country's IPO market following a blockbuster listing of Hyundai's Indian unit.

  • November 12, 2024

    NY Costco Junior Managers' Wage Statement Claim Tossed

    Three junior Costco managers' declarations contradicted their proposed collective action claiming that the retail company's wage statements didn't allow them to determine whether they worked overtime, a New York federal judge ruled, trimming their suit.

  • November 12, 2024

    High Court Turns Away Appeal From 'Insider' Hedge Fund

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up hedge fund Raging Capital Management LLC's petition to review whether its status as a large investor in 1-800-Flowers should leave it vulnerable to a derivative suit claiming it made illegal swing-trades.

  • November 08, 2024

    Ill. Assault Rifle Ban Struck As Unconstitutional, AG To Appeal

    An Illinois federal judge Friday overturned the state's law banning AR-15 rifles and other semiautomatic weapons, pointing to U.S. Supreme Court rulings interpreting the Second Amendment to give individuals the broad right to keep and bear firearms, and opining that the debate over guns is a matter of perspective.

  • November 08, 2024

    8th Circ. Flips $12M Verdict Against Jagermeister's US Arm

    The Eighth Circuit has overturned a jury's verdict that Jägermeister's U.S. importer must pay a distributor $11.75 million after terminating their deal, saying Friday the jury was misinstructed and a new trial is required.

  • November 08, 2024

    Fla. Apparel Distributor Sues Gap Over $378M Bait-And-Switch

    A South Florida-based apparel distribution company has brought a $378 million counter-complaint against Gap Inc. in California state court, alleging the clothing retailer threatened to sabotage an initial public offering after pulling a bait-and-switch by sending millions of dollars of oversized, unsellable garments and ruin relationships with existing customers.

  • November 08, 2024

    Pawn Shop Must Face CFPB's Military Law Claims, Judge Says

    In a matter of first impression, a Texas federal judge has ruled that national pawn shop company FirstCash Inc. cannot use a "bona fide error" defense to argue that its alleged violation of the Military Lending Act was an unintentional mishap, saying the defense only applies to private borrower claims, not federal agency suits.

  • November 08, 2024

    Apple's Cited Rulings Just Cement Old Precedent, Epic Says

    What Apple contends are new rulings from a California appeals court and the U.S. Supreme Court are really just affirmations of existing precedent that change nothing about the injunction blocking the iPhone maker's rules against steering users to alternative payment systems, Epic Games has told a California federal judge.

  • November 08, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Wonders If Italian Pasta Duties Are Bad Math

    The Federal Circuit had semolina on its mind Friday, and it didn't seem convinced the U.S. Department of Commerce had made the right call when relying on what two pasta manufacturers have said are faulty calculations to set antidumping duties for their imports.

  • November 08, 2024

    Cannabis Shops Sue DC To Halt Enforcement Actions

    A coalition of Washington, D.C., recreational marijuana shops has launched a federal lawsuit against a slew of District entities, including the mayor, cannabis regulator and police department, seeking to halt the government's enforcement actions against their stores.

  • November 08, 2024

    Judge Lets Plaintiffs Drop Kroger Pain Patch Suit

    An Illinois federal judge on Friday allowed two customers who sued supermarket chain Kroger over the effectiveness of lidocaine patches to ditch their class claims after he denied certification last month, and ultimately dismiss the individual claims with prejudice.

  • November 08, 2024

    Justices Urged To Review Amazon Patent Program Case

    A company alleging patent infringement through Amazon's patent evaluation program is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its appeal of a Federal Circuit ruling that said it had to face a declaratory judgment suit in the purported infringer's home state.

  • November 08, 2024

    Italy's Finance Minister Says EU Must Adopt Digital Tax

    The European Union must adopt a digital services tax despite the threat of retaliatory trade measures by the U.S., Italy's finance minister told the country's Parliament as it seeks to widen the scope of its own measure to domestic companies.

  • November 08, 2024

    Experienced Dealmakers Lead 3 SPACs Raising $365M Total

    Three special purpose acquisition companies began trading Friday after pricing initial public offerings that raised $365 million combined under guidance from four law firms, marking the latest sign that more SPACs, particularly those with prior deals under their belts, are willing to test an improving market.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Antitrust In Retail: The Meaning Of 'Accessible Luxury'

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    In order for the Federal Trade Commission to block a deal that would put six "accessible luxury" brands, including Coach and Michael Kors, under one roof, the agency will need to prove that this category is distinct from the true luxury or mass-market categories, says David Kully at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • In Biz Account Breaches, Look Beyond The Payment Platform

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    A business's legal path to recovering funds after bad actors access a payment platform account and engage in unauthorized transactions can lead into murky legal territory where liability is unclear, and pursuing the payment platform itself will be an uphill, if not insurmountable, struggle, say Edward Marshall and Morgan Harrison at Arnall Golden.

  • A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • Making Plans For BNPL Consumer Protection Compliance

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    With an interpretive rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau set to require buy-now, pay-later providers to implement credit card-like consumer safeguards by the end of July, loan providers must solidify their federally compliant customer dispute resolution and disclosure procedures before the newly emboldened bureau's deadline, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Tailoring Compliance Before AI Walks The Runway

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    Fashion industry players that adopt artificial intelligence to propel their businesses forward should consider ways to minimize its perceived downsides, including potential job displacements and algorithmic biases that may harm diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, say Jeffrey Greene and Ivory Djahouri at Foley & Lardner.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

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    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

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