Retail & E-Commerce

  • July 09, 2024

    Amazon Judge Offers To Quit COVID Pay Case

    A Colorado federal judge urged Amazon and workers suing the company over unpaid COVID-19 screenings to file briefs on whether he should recuse himself from the case, disclosing that his son works for what he believes is an Amazon affiliate.

  • July 09, 2024

    CIT Finds Labor Issues Don't Justify Penalty Evasion Ruling

    The U.S. Court of International Trade backed U.S. Customs and Border Protection's decision not to penalize an importer that allegedly threatened workers against speaking with officials investigating potential duty evasion, saying the purported misconduct hadn't hampered the probe.

  • July 09, 2024

    Judge Calls Cost Of DOJ's Assa Abloy Market Study 'Insane'

    A D.C. federal judge took the U.S. Department of Justice and its monitoring trustee to task Tuesday for their pursuit of an open-ended look at Assa Abloy's books to check for anticompetitive harms from a 2023 merger, excoriating budget estimates pricing the investigation at a minimum of $1.7 million.

  • July 09, 2024

    McDermott Lands 22-Year Latham Securities Litigator In LA

    McDermott Will & Emery has brought in the global co-chair of Latham & Watkins LLP's securities litigation and professional liability practice group to join its Los Angeles office.

  • July 09, 2024

    $2.4 Million Crate & Barrel BIPA Deal Gets Final OK

    A Cook County judge on Tuesday gave his final signoff to a $2.4 million deal ending litigation accusing Crate & Barrel of violating Illinois' biometric privacy law by requiring employees at its stores to scan their fingerprints to track their time worked without first securing their written, informed permission.

  • July 09, 2024

    Insurer Seeks $1.7M For Damaged Concert Gear

    An insurer is seeking to recoup over $1.7 million in damages it incurred after concert gear was damaged en route to New York from Belgium, telling a New York federal court Tuesday that a shipping company owed a duty to the cargo's owner to deliver its products safely.

  • July 09, 2024

    BP Unit Slams 'Farfetched' $300M Franchise Termination Suit

    The trio of companies that sued a BP subsidiary for terminating their truck stop franchise agreement have no claim to make, the BP unit has told an Ohio federal court, arguing that by their own admission the companies failed to hold up their end of the agreement at issue.

  • July 09, 2024

    Crowell & Moring Adds 'Swiss Army Knife' Atty In Calif.

    Crowell & Moring LLP grew in San Francisco this week, announcing Tuesday that it has added a former state prosecutor and e-commerce in-house counsel who has a reputation as a "Swiss Army knife style of lawyer."

  • July 08, 2024

    5th Circ. Unstrings Gibson's Win In Guitar Design TM Fight

    Gibson must retry its case alleging a rival guitar maker sold counterfeit instruments that infringed its trademark on the Flying V guitar and other iconic models, the Fifth Circuit ruled Monday, saying the district court improperly excluded evidence.

  • July 08, 2024

    Shopify Privacy Ruling Threatens AGs' Work, 9th Circ. Told

    Attorneys general from 30 states and the District of Columbia, along with a trio of California city attorneys, are calling on the Ninth Circuit to revive a proposed class action accusing payment processing company Shopify of collecting shoppers' sensitive information without permission, arguing that the dispute threatens to deprive them of their ability to enforce their states' consumer protection laws. 

  • July 08, 2024

    Holland & Hart Dodges Deposition Order In Discovery Spat

    A Washington federal judge said from the bench Monday that she would not order the deposition of High 5 Games LLC's defense team for alleged discovery misconduct in a class action accusing the company of targeting gambling addicts, ruling the depositions were not crucial to make a case for sanctions.

  • July 08, 2024

    Would-Be Pot Co. Rainmaker Still Not Liable For Alleged Fraud

    A Colorado Court of Appeals panel has affirmed the outcome of a jury trial in which a businessman was found not liable for defrauding a cannabis company, concluding that it would have been highly prejudicial to tell jurors the businessman was sanctioned in the case for fabricating evidence.

  • July 08, 2024

    Smoke Shops Say Rivals Are Copying Name, Filching Goodwill

    A Washington smoke chain has hit several rivals with trademark infringement lawsuits, accusing them of unauthorized use of its name, Smoke City, so they can lean on the goodwill it has developed with customers.

  • July 08, 2024

    Albertsons Looks To Toss 'Naturally Flavored' Cereal Bar Suit

    Grocery store chain Albertsons on Monday urged a California federal judge to throw out a proposed class action alleging that it falsely labels its Signature Select cereal bars as "naturally flavored" despite their containing artificial malic acid, saying the packaging, which doesn't claim the bars are free from artificial ingredients, wouldn't mislead reasonable consumers.

  • July 08, 2024

    Maple Leaf Must Go The Way Of Chevron, Solar Cos. Say

    Last month's U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning 40 years of judicial deference to federal agencies' read of statutes puts the Federal Circuit's own brand of executive branch acquiescence squarely on the chopping block, a solar industry group said Monday.

  • July 08, 2024

    Full 2nd Circ. Urged To 'Correct' Panel's Insider Trading Ruling

    A hedge fund accused of taking advantage of its corporate insider status to profit off swing trading in 1-800-Flowers' stock is urging the full bench of the Second Circuit to reconsider a decision to revive the lawsuit against it, arguing in a Monday petition to the court that the ruling clashes with both U.S. Supreme Court precedent and with controlling Second Circuit precedent on standing. 

  • July 08, 2024

    Justices Told To Ignore 'Hopeless' Challenge To Antitrust Test

    A group of wholesalers who say the makers of 5-Hour Energy illegally favored Costco in distributing the energy drink shots told the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reject the drink-maker's certiorari petition, saying it asks the justices to take on the role of fact-finders.

  • July 08, 2024

    Suit Alleging NY Pot Kickbacks Moved To Federal Court

    An Illinois security company is suing New York's cannabis authority for $300 million claiming that one of its board members convinced the business to do free surveillance camera work by promising it a state contract that never came, according to a lawsuit removed to federal court.

  • July 08, 2024

    'Amazon Of Hemp' Wants Early Exit From NC Pot Farm Fight

    An online hemp retailer is looking to ditch claims that it's passing off a North Carolina farm's hemp products as its own and has otherwise doctored THC test reports, calling the suit "fatally defective" and saying that other parts of the complaint contradict those claims.

  • July 08, 2024

    Patient Says Health System Shares Data With Meta, Google

    Henry Ford Health in Michigan was hit with a proposed class action Friday alleging that it shares patients' private health information with third parties such as Meta and Google by allowing the companies to have tracking software embedded in its website, including its patient portal, where sensitive health information is uploaded.

  • July 08, 2024

    Pro-Trade Policies Outpace Barriers Amid Strains, WTO Says

    Countries are moving to open themselves up to increased trade, even as armed conflicts, tense geopolitics and the effects of climate change continue to destabilize supply chains, the World Trade Organization said in a report released Monday.

  • July 08, 2024

    Puma Aims To Unveil Redacted Docs In Shoe IP Battle

    Puma has pushed a rival sports gear company to turn over previously withheld and unredacted versions of documents in a trademark fight over shoes, telling a Washington federal judge that Brooks Sports Inc. already sent the materials to a third party.

  • July 08, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Prince's heirs were left standing alone in a cold world last week after Delaware's Court of Chancery found their attempts to gain control of the late musician's estate too demanding. Delaware's court of equity also waved a wand for Walt Disney and slashed nearly $10 million from a damages award for Sears stockholders. In case you missed anything, here's a recap of all the latest news from Delaware's Chancery Court.

  • July 08, 2024

    The Biggest Patent Rulings Of 2024: A Midyear Report

    The Federal Circuit issued its first en banc patent decision since 2018, a circuit judge's suspension was solidified and courts shed further light on foreign damages and skinny labels. Here's a look back at these rulings and other top patent decisions from the first half of 2024.

  • July 08, 2024

    5 Firms Shape Paramount Global, Skydance Media Merger

    Paramount Global will merge with Skydance Media in a two-step transaction steered by five law firms, the companies announced, ending months of negotiations that were the subject of rigorous speculation. 

Expert Analysis

  • What 4 Cyber Protection Actions Mean For Marine Transport

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    Several recent steps by the Biden administration are necessary to address the cyber threats that increasingly disrupt the maritime sector, but also impose new legal risks, liabilities and operating costs on the owners and operators of U.S.-flagged vessels and facilities, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Inside Antitrust Agencies' Rollup And Serial Acquisition Moves

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    The recent request for public comments on serial acquisitions and rollup strategies from the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Justice Department mark the antitrust agencies' continued focus on actions that fall below premerger reporting thresholds, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Rare Robinson-Patman Ruling Exhibits Key Antitrust Risk

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    A rare federal court decision under the Robinson-Patman Act, which prohibits certain kinds of price discrimination, highlights the antitrust risks faced by certain suppliers and is likely to be cited by future plaintiffs and enforcement officials calling for renewed scrutiny of pricing and discounting practices, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Counterfeits At The Olympics Pose IP Challenges

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    With the 2024 Olympic Games quickly approaching, the proliferation of counterfeit Olympic merchandise poses a difficult challenge to the protection of intellectual property rights and the preservation of the Olympic brand's integrity, says Kimiya Shams at Devialet.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Crafting An Effective Workplace AI Policy After DOL Guidance

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    Employers should take proactive steps to minimize their liability risk after the U.S. Department of Labor released artificial intelligence guidance principles on May 16, reflecting the reality that companies must begin putting into place policies that will dictate their expectations for how employees will use AI, say David Disler and Courtnie Bolden at ​​​​​​​Porzio Bromberg.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Momofuku Chili War May Chill Common Phrase TM Apps

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    Momofuku’s recent trademark battle over the “Chili Crunch” mark shows that over-enforcement when protecting exclusivity rights may backfire not just in the public eye, but with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as well, says Anthony Panebianco at Davis Malm.

  • Unlocking Blockchain Opportunities Amid Legal Uncertainty

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    Dozens of laws and legal precedents will come into the fore as Web3, metaverse and non-fungible tokens gain momentum, so organizations need to design their programs with a broader view of potential exposures — and opportunities, say Teresa Goody Guillén and Robert Musiala at BakerHostetler and Steve McNew at FTI Consulting.

  • 4 Ways Businesses Can Address Threat Of Mass Arbitration

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    Attorneys at DLA Piper examine the rise of mass arbitration in light of JAMS' new procedures and guidelines, and provide four steps e-commerce businesses can take when revising their dispute resolution provisions to maximize the chances those revisions will be held enforceable.

  • How Cannabis Rescheduling May Alter Paraphernalia Imports

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    The Biden administration's recent proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana use raises questions about how U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement policies may shift when it comes to enforcing a separate federal ban on marijuana accessory imports, says R. Kevin Williams at Clark Hill.

  • Trademark In Artistic Works 1 Year After Jack Daniel's

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    In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court's Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products ruling, courts have applied Jack Daniel's inconsistently to deny First Amendment protection to artistic works, providing guidance for dismissing trademark claims relating to film and TV titles, say Hardy Ehlers and Neema Sahni at Covington.

  • Live Nation May Shake It Off In A Long Game With The DOJ

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    Don't expect a swift resolution in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against Live Nation, but a long litigation, with the company likely to represent itself as the creator of a competitive ecosystem, and the government faced with explaining how the ticketing giant formed under its watch, say Thomas Kliebhan and Taylor Hixon at GRSM50.

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