Retail & E-Commerce

  • January 29, 2025

    Retailers Back Intel, OpenSky In VLSI IP Fight At Fed. Circ.

    A retail trade association has urged the Federal Circuit to affirm the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's decision not to throw out a challenge to a VLSI chip patent that ended up being invalidated, saying there was nothing wrong with allowing Intel to join the fight.

  • January 29, 2025

    Texas-Led States Can Sue Google, Ad Tech Judge Says

    A Texas federal judge refused to toss a state enforcer coalition's lawsuit accusing Google of monopolizing the display advertising placement technology market, rejecting Google assertions that the states lack standing to sue on behalf of their citizens in a case where trial now appears likely to be delayed.

  • January 29, 2025

    Amazon Says Docs FTC Wants For Prime Case Are Privileged

    Amazon fired back in a discovery dispute in the Federal Trade Commission's case accusing the e-commerce giant of Prime subscription deception, saying the regulator is not entitled to documents tied to a company meeting because the records reflect legal advice and work product.

  • January 29, 2025

    Japanese Candy Biz Loses Trademark Fight With Rival Seller

    A Japanese candy exporter failed Wednesday to sway Federal Circuit judges to overturn a trademark board ruling as part of its fight with a rival company over who can use the Japanese word for "feudal lord" in order to sell candy.

  • January 29, 2025

    Curaleaf To Pay $31.8M In Pot Farm Contract Row

    A Michigan federal jury on Wednesday found that a pair of Curaleaf affiliates breached their contract with a cannabis farm, awarding the farm nearly $32 million in damages, while rejecting Curaleaf's counterclaims.

  • January 29, 2025

    Ga. Judge Cuts Atty Fees In Home Depot Class Settlement

    A Georgia federal judge has granted final approval to a settlement between Home Depot Corp., Reliance Worldwide Corp. and a class suing over allegedly faulty water heater connector hoses but awarded class counsel $1.9 million in fees instead of the $2.1 million initially requested.

  • January 29, 2025

    Shopper Says Costco Adds Hidden Fees To Online Deliveries

    Costco is the target of a proposed consumer class action alleging the membership retailer is reneging on promises to waive online delivery fees by adding hidden charges that make products bought through the company's e-commerce site more expensive than the same products sold in stores.

  • January 29, 2025

    Trump's Commerce Nominee Backs Maximalist Tariff Approach

    President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce voiced support for an expansive use of tariffs Wednesday, repeatedly telling lawmakers that new levies should be imposed to correct the "disrespect" U.S. businesses face in overseas markets.

  • January 28, 2025

    Trade Groups Dial Up Push For Congress To Pass Privacy Law

    A broad coalition of business trade groups on Tuesday called on the newly installed Congress to enact a national data privacy framework that would preempt state laws, arguing that the move was necessary to promote competition and boost consumer confidence in the current age of rapid technological innovation.

  • January 28, 2025

    Staples Settles Out Of Visa, Mastercard Swipe Fee Battle

    Staples on Tuesday settled out of an over decade-long antitrust battle lodged against Visa and Mastercard for allegedly overcharging merchants via swipe fees, leaving the payment card companies with one less retailer to face in trial this year over their alleged anticompetitive fee scheme.

  • January 28, 2025

    Amazon Says Too Late For Mass. Court's Expense Suit Take

    Amazon said a delivery driver missed his chance to seek clarity on whether Massachusetts state wage law requires employers to compensate employees for work-related expenses, urging a Washington federal judge to pass on asking the Bay State's top court to weigh in.

  • January 28, 2025

    CFPB, Bank Orgs Rebuff Intervention Bid In Data Rule Fight

    In a moment of agreement, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a group of banking trade groups pushed back on Tuesday against a bid to intervene by two advocacy groups in a suit over the CFPB's small business lending data rule. 

  • January 28, 2025

    Capri Investors Sue Over Scrapped $8.5B Tapestry Merger

    Fashion brand giants Capri Holdings Ltd. and Tapestry Inc. misled investors about potential antitrust regulatory issues associated with their planned $8.5 billion merger that ultimately led to the deal's failure and investor losses, according to a proposed securities class action filed Tuesday in Delaware federal court.

  • January 28, 2025

    19 Republican State AGs Press Costco To End DEI Policies

    A group of nearly 20 Republican attorneys general is urging Costco to end its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the wake of President Donald Trump's recent executive order encouraging companies to end them, criticizing the initiatives as "discriminatory" and saying they fly in the face of recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • January 28, 2025

    Dolce & Gabbana Wants 'Worthless' NFT Outfit Suit Tossed

    The U.S. division of Italian luxury fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana has urged a New York federal judge to toss a proposed investor class action accusing it of abandoning a nonfungible tokens project while retaining the more than $25 million that was used to fund it, arguing that the U.S. arm of the company was not at all involved in the project.

  • January 28, 2025

    Judge Says The Comfy Sweatshirt Injunction Wasn't Violated

    The startup behind The Comfy, a large and heavy sweatshirt featured in an episode of "Shark Tank," failed Tuesday to convince a federal judge in Arizona that a rival was breaking an injunction by deliberately selling infringing sweatshirts on Amazon in an $18 million patent and trademark case. 

  • January 28, 2025

    4th Circ. Wary Of Discrimination Claims In Pot License Row

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday expressed skepticism about claims that Maryland's cannabis regulator discriminated against out-of-state entrepreneurs when it implemented a social equity program that gave consideration to applicants who attended one of six in-state colleges.

  • January 28, 2025

    Baker Botts Atty Says Inventor's Defamation Claims Are False

    A Baker Botts LLP partner hit back Tuesday against a patent-licensing company executive's claims that she made defamatory statements about him related to infringement litigation over a patent for a mobile restaurant ordering app with personalized suggestions.

  • January 28, 2025

    Apple Can't Defend Google Revenue Deal In DOJ Search Case

    A D.C. federal judge has refused to let Apple intervene to defend the billions it gets from Google to keep the search giant as the default for Safari browser, holding the iPhone maker waited too long to intervene in the Justice Department's monopolization lawsuit, and the company's involvement now would be too disruptive.

  • January 28, 2025

    Party City Seeks OK For Exec Private Security In Ch. 11

    Bankrupt retailer Party City HoldCo Inc. Tuesday asked a Texas judge to approve up to $400,000 in spending on private security for its current and former senior employees, saying the recent killing of UnitedHealth's CEO has spurred threats of violence against the debtor's leadership.

  • January 28, 2025

    Guns Owners Urge Justices To Throw Out NY Carry Law

    Members of the Gun Owners of America Inc. have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a New York carry law that the Second Circuit largely upheld last year, arguing that the lower appellate court's ruling "doubled down" on erroneous conclusions already vacated the last time the justices heard the case.

  • January 28, 2025

    Trader Joe's Accused Of Badly Stocked 401(k), High Fees

    Grocery chain Trader Joe's mismanaged its retirement plan for employees to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, according to a potential class action filed Tuesday in Massachusetts federal court.

  • January 28, 2025

    Eminem IP Owners Sue Over Ford Dealer's 'Lose Yourself' Ads

    Eminem's publisher hit a Ford dealership with a copyright infringement lawsuit in Michigan federal court, alleging the business used the rapper's hit "Lose Yourself" on TikTok and other social-media advertisements for a limited edition Detroit Lions Ford F-150 pickup truck without permission or obtaining requisite IP licenses.

  • January 27, 2025

    5th Circ. Wipes Out FTC Rule Targeting Auto Industry Scams

    A split Fifth Circuit panel on Monday vacated the Federal Trade Commission's Combating Auto Retail Scams, or CARS, rule prohibiting bait-and-switch tactics and hidden charges in the car buying and leasing process, siding with car dealers and finding that the FTC didn't give adequate notice of the proposed rulemaking.

  • January 27, 2025

    CFPB Says Acima Can't Use 'Lease' Label To Exit Suit

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau urged a Utah federal court to not dismiss its predatory lending suit against Acima Leasing, arguing the fintech company and Rent-A-Center affiliate can't hide offering functional credit products by calling them rental purchases.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    'Trump Too Small' Ruling Overlooks TM Registration Issues

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month in Vidal v. Elster, which concluded that “Trump Too Small” cannot be a registered trademark as it violates a federal prohibition, fails to consider modern-day, real-world implications for trademark owners who are denied access to federal registration, say Tiffany Gehrke and Alexa Spitz at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Why High Court Social Media Ruling Will Be Hotly Debated

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    In deciding the NetChoice cases that challenged Florida and Texas content moderation laws, what the U.S. Supreme Court justices said about social media platforms — and the First Amendment — will have implications and raise questions for nearly all online operators, say Jacob Canter and Joanna Rosen Forster at Crowell & Moring.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • How High Court Approached Time Limit On Reg Challenges

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board effectively gives new entities their own personal statute of limitations to challenge rules and regulations, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence may portend the court's view that those entities do not need to be directly regulated, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • Constitutional Protections For Cannabis Companies Are Hazy

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    Cannabis businesses are subject to federal enforcement and tax, but often without the benefit of constitutional protections — and the entanglement of state and federal law and conflicting judicial opinions are creating confusion in the space, says Amber Lengacher at Purple Circle.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Anticipating Disputes In Small Biz Partnerships And LLCs

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    In light of persistently high failures of small business partnerships and limited liability companies, mediator Frank Burke discusses proactive strategies for protecting and defining business rights and responsibilities, as well as reactive measures for owners.

  • The Often Overlooked NY Foreclosure Notice Requirements

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    As multifamily real estate defaults mount, New York foreclosing parties should be aware of pitfalls and perils that can await the litigant who is not prepared to ensure adherence with tenant notice requirements under the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law, say Christopher Gorman and John Muldoon at Rosenberg & Estis.

  • 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.

  • 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 37 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.

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