Retail & E-Commerce

  • September 10, 2024

    Reynolds Wrap Co. Gets OK For $725K Retirement Fee Deal

    An Illinois federal judge has granted final approval to a $725,000 settlement between a food packaging company that makes Reynolds brand products and participants in an employee 401(k) plan who alleged the company paid too much for recordkeeping fees.

  • September 10, 2024

    Ugg Maker Ends IP Boot Suit Against Costco

    Deckers Outdoor Corp. has dropped its suit in California federal court accusing Costco Wholesale Corp. of infringing a design patent and trade dress for Ugg "Classic Ultra Mini" boots with the retailer's Kirkland-branded footwear.

  • September 10, 2024

    Amazon Must Trim 'Halo' TM For EU Market

    Amazon Technologies could not convince the EU's intellectual property office to let it register trademarks for "halo" unscathed, with the office backing a Californian health technology company's bid to trim key protections for medical monitoring devices and health assessment services.

  • September 10, 2024

    T-Mobile Can't Change 4th Circ. Loss In 'Simply Prepaid' Fight

    T-Mobile failed Tuesday to undercut a Fourth Circuit decision that revived a Virginia-based cellphone company's infringement claims over the phrase "Simply Prepaid," with a panel of judges declining to grant the telecommunications giant's request for a second look.

  • September 10, 2024

    House Reps. Float Bill To Limit Patent Invalidations

    A bipartisan bill that would reset patent eligibility standards has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, over a year after a similar Senate bill was put forward that drew opposition from much of the tech and retail industry.

  • September 10, 2024

    Cult Gaia Importer Beats Champagne Bid To Bar Dress Sales

    A Dutch importer of Cult Gaia dresses has seen off a bid from a body representing the Champagne region's interests to bar it from selling "champagne" colored dresses after a court ruled it was clear it had no connection to the sparkling wine.

  • September 10, 2024

    Cypriot Cheesemakers Lose Challenge To 'Grilloumi' TM

    A group of Cypriot halloumi producers has lost its attempt to overturn a decision that allowed a Swedish cheesemaker to register its "Grilloumi" and "Grilloumaki" trademarks in the U.K., as a London court ruled the marks are sufficiently different.

  • September 10, 2024

    Top EU Court Upholds €2.4B Google Shopping Fine

    The European Court of Justice rejected an appeal from Google on Tuesday challenging a €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) fine for steering users toward its own comparison shopping service, as the tech giant faces mounting pressure from antitrust enforcers at home and abroad.

  • September 09, 2024

    DOJ Says 'Frustrated' Google Ad Tech Customers Are Stuck

    The U.S. Department of Justice urged a Virginia federal judge Monday to dismantle Google's hold over the technology used to place online display ads on website publishers' pages, asserting in opening arguments that the search giant has used its power to trap consumers and undermine competitors.

  • September 09, 2024

    Denver Court Knocks Out 'Breathable' Fabric Patent Claims

    After almost a decade of litigation over "breathable" waterproof fabric in Colorado federal court, a judge in Denver has decided that some of the claims describing a patent failed to hold up to legal scrutiny. 

  • September 09, 2024

    6th Circ. Affirms Ax Of '100% Raw' Honey-Labeling Fight

    The Sixth Circuit has affirmed a decision tossing consumers' proposed class action over Strange Honey Farm LLC's "100% raw Tennessee honey" labels, finding that while the appellate court has jurisdiction to hear the consumers' appeal, the lower court rightly dismissed the "conclusory" allegations without leave to amend.

  • September 09, 2024

    SEC Fines 7 Companies $3M Over Whistleblower Violations

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday announced a $3 million collective settlement with seven public companies, including TransUnion and Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc., to resolve claims that those companies used employment, separation and other agreements to impede whistleblowers from reporting potential misconduct to the SEC.

  • September 09, 2024

    Handbag Market Probed As FTC's $8.5B Merger Hearing Starts

    A New York federal judge heard dueling narratives about the existence of an "accessible luxury" handbag market Monday, as the Federal Trade Commission seeks to halt a proposed $8.5 billion merger between the owners of Michael Kors and Coach.

  • September 09, 2024

    7-Eleven Says No To Talks With Couche-Tard After $40B Denial

    After rejecting a nearly $40 billion buyout offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. last week, the parent company of 7-Eleven told the Canadian retailer Monday that it hasn't yet brought forth an offer that warrants "substantial discussions." 

  • September 09, 2024

    Riddell Helmet Design Contributed To Brain Injury, Suit Says

    The parents of a high school football player who suffered a life-altering injury that left him reliant on a wheelchair have filed a federal product liability suit in Texas against Riddell Inc., the maker of the allegedly defective helmet he was wearing when he was hurt.

  • September 09, 2024

    Colo. Justices Rule Amazon's Holiday Pay Must Be In OT Math

    Amazon's holiday incentive pay is the type of compensation Colorado wage law requires to be included in overtime calculations, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday, agreeing with warehouse workers that the incentive pay needed to be included in their regular rate when calculating overtime.

  • September 09, 2024

    Bargain Retailer Big Lots Hits Ch. 11 With Sale In Sights

    Discount retail chain Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 protection Monday in Delaware with $556 million of secured debt and plans to shutter more than 300 stores while it works to complete a $620 million deal to sell the rest of its business as a going concern.

  • September 06, 2024

    T.I. Tells Jury 'Anyone With Eyes' Can See MGA's IP Theft

    Grammy-winning hip hop artist T.I. on Friday told jurors weighing his intellectual property suit against toymaker MGA Enterntainment that anyone could see the similarities between the company's O.M.G. doll line and the OMG Girlz pop group that the rapper co-owns, but he's not sure the company CEO knew of any alleged idea theft.

  • September 06, 2024

    Takeaways From Fair Use Rejection Of Free E-Book Library

    The Second Circuit's decision shutting down a fair use argument by Internet Archive over its system of scanning physical books and converting them into e-books to lend for free is a resounding victory for book publishers that argued their market was in danger of being supplanted.

  • September 06, 2024

    Health-Ade Settles Suit Over 'Forever Chemicals' In Kombucha

    A consumer who filed a proposed class action against popular kombucha-maker Health-Ade LLC claiming the beverages contained "forever chemicals" has apparently settled her claims against the company, according to an order issued by a New York federal judge.

  • September 06, 2024

    Marc Jacobs Brushes Off Eyeshadow TM Suit

    A Korean skin care company that alleged an eyeshadow line from Marc Jacobs infringed its trademark for an anti-aging eye cream has lost its case, with a California federal judge finding the Eye-Conic cosmetics from Marc Jacobs Beauty would not likely be confused with Amarte's Eyeconic eye cream.

  • September 06, 2024

    Starbucks Finds Interest For Appeal In Shareholder Suit

    A Washington Court of Appeals commissioner suggested to two Starbucks shareholders on Friday that their lawsuit must "do more than what it does" as of now if they want to accuse corporate leadership of responding illegally to barista unionization, hinting the court will likely take up the coffee giant's appeal.

  • September 06, 2024

    Calif. Gov. Targets Hemp Intoxicants With Emergency Ban

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced emergency regulations banning products derived from industrial hemp that contain any intoxicating cannabinoids, and setting an age minimum of 21 years to purchase hemp products.

  • September 06, 2024

    DOJ Must Give Google 'Something Concrete' On Search Fixes

    The Justice Department cannot wait until February to propose remedies meant to address Google's default contract exclusionary thumb on the scales of online search, a D.C. federal judge told the agency during a hearing Friday, adding that the government needs to put a definitive proposal on the table much sooner.

  • September 06, 2024

    Google Hit With Ad Tech Complaint In UK As DOJ Trial Looms

    The U.K.'s competition enforcer accused Google on Friday of abusing its dominance over the technology used to place ads on third-party websites, as the tech giant gears up for a trial on similar claims from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Expert Analysis

  • ITC Ruling Has Serious IP Implications For Foreign Imports

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    While a recent U.S. International Trade Commission decision is a win for trade secret owners who can show injury to a U.S. domestic industry, the decision also means that companies operating in foreign jurisdictions will be subject to the requirements of U.S. trade secret law, say Paul Ainsworth and Cristen Corry at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • TTAB Ruling Raises Foreign-Language Mark Questions

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    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board's recent decision to cancel the Veuve Olivier registration due to its similarity to Veuve Clicquot brings new focus to the treatment of foreign terms and the doctrine of foreign equivalents, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Best Practices To Accommodate Workplace Service Animals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Since the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently pledged to enforce accommodations for people with intellectual, developmental and mental health-related disabilities, companies should use an interactive process to properly respond when employees ask about bringing service animals into the workplace, say Samuel Lillard and Jantzen Mace at Ogletree.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

  • Opinion

    State-Regulated Cannabis Can Thrive Without Section 280E

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    Marijauna's reclassification as a Schedule III-controlled substance comes at a critical juncture, as removing marijuana from being subjected to Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code is the only path forward for the state-regulated cannabis industry to survive and thrive, say Andrew Kline at Perkins Coie and Sammy Markland at FTI Consulting.

  • 4 Sectors Will Likely Bear Initial Brunt Of FTC 'Junk Fees' Rule

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    If the Federal Trade Commission adopts its comprehensive proposed rule to ban unfair or deceptive fees across the U.S. economy, many businesses — including those in the lodging, event ticketing, dining and transportation sectors — will need to reexamine the way they market and price their products and services, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • 8 Legal Issues Influencing Investors In The Creator Economy

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    The rapidly expanding digital creator economy — funding for which more than doubled in the U.S. in the first quarter — comes with its own set of unique legal issues investors must carefully consider before diving in, say Louis Lehot and Alan Pate at Foley & Lardner.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data

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    Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • CFPB Reality Check: Video Game Cash Is Still Money

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent report examining payments within online video games indicates that financial services offered within the game marketplace are quickly evolving to the point where they are indistinguishable from traditional financial services subject to regulation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Is The Digital Accessibility Storm Almost Over?

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    Though private businesses have faced a decadelong deluge of digital accessibility complaints in the absence of clear regulations or uniformity among the courts, attorneys at Epstein Becker address how recent federal courts’ pushback against serial Americans with Disabilities Act plaintiffs and the U.S. Department of Justice’s proposed government accessibility standards may presage a break in the downpour.

  • PE In The Crosshairs Of Public And Private Antitrust Enforcers

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    A series of decisions from a California federal court in the recently settled Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, as well as heightened scrutiny from federal agencies, serve as a reminder that private equity firms may be exposed to liability for alleged anti-competitive conduct by their portfolio companies, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • Series

    Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.

  • 2nd Circ. Eminent Domain Ruling Empowers Municipalities

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Brinkmann v. Town of Southold, finding that a pretextual taking does not violate the Fifth Amendment's takings clause, gives municipalities a powerful tool with which to block unwanted development projects, even in bad faith, say James O'Connor and Benjamin Sugarman at Phillips Lytle.

  • What 100 Federal Cases Suggest About Changes To Chevron

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    With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn or narrow its 40-year-old doctrine of Chevron deference, a review of 100 recent federal district court decisions confirm that changes to the Chevron framework will have broad ramifications — but the magnitude of the impact will depend on the details of the high court's ruling, say Kali Schellenberg and Jon Cochran at LeVan Stapleton.

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