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Retail & E-Commerce
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March 26, 2025
Judge Blocks Build-A-Bear's Bid To Inspect 3K Squishmallows
A California federal judge has rejected an attempt from Build-A-Bear Workshop to physically inspect thousands of Squishmallows stuffed toys in order to defend itself against trade dress infringement claims by the company that makes them, saying the defendant's request is overbroad and unnecessary.
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March 26, 2025
Whirlpool's Mixer TM Award Of $27M Is Enough, Judge Says
A Texas federal judge has permanently barred two Chinese companies from infringing the exterior design of Whirlpool's iconic KitchenAid stand mixer but denied Whirlpool's request to increase a $27 million award it recently won at trial, saying Whirlpool's award, along with the permanent injunction, was more than enough.
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March 26, 2025
Sysco Can't Tap Out Of $50M Price-Fix Deal With JBS
Sysco can't back out of a $50 million agreement it made with JBS for the meat producer to exit sprawling litigation accusing it of working to fix the price of poultry, beef and pork, even though Sysco has since signed away its interest in the antitrust claims, a federal court has ruled.
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March 26, 2025
Worker Says Koch Foods Fails To Pay For Off-Clock Tasks
Koch Foods refused to pay workers for the time they spent putting on and taking off protective gear, and it deducted money from their paychecks if they needed items replaced during a workweek, a proposed class action filed in Illinois federal court said.
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March 26, 2025
2nd Circ. Finds Pieces Missing From Lego IP Ruling
The Second Circuit instructed a Connecticut federal judge Wednesday to rethink his decision that an injunction blocking the sale of a Lego competitor's figurines also applies to a later design, saying the lower court's failure to explain its decision suggests it "may have simply imported its prior reasoning."
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March 26, 2025
Medical Pot Center Not Exempt From 2017 Michigan Sales Tax
A Michigan appeals panel has rejected a medical cannabis provisioning center's argument that it was exempt from sales tax in 2017, saying it is not entitled to the same exemption as primary caregivers and could not rely on a 2011 nonbinding letter in its argument.
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March 26, 2025
UK Antitrust Arm Probing Food Services Merger
Britain's antitrust watchdog has launched an initial enforcement order into global catering giant Aramark Group's acquisition of Entier, a Scottish rival, over concerns the transaction could result in a "substantial lessening of competition" in the food services sector.
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March 26, 2025
Dollar Tree Selling Family Dollar For $1B To PE Firms
Dollar Tree said Wednesday it has agreed to sell its Family Dollar business for just over $1 billion to two private equity firms, after the Davis Polk-guided discount retailer revealed strategic review plans to sell the cash-strapped unit in June.
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March 25, 2025
Coupang Must Face Ex-In-House Atty's Whistleblower Suit
A Washington federal judge on Tuesday said e-commerce retailer Coupang can't escape a whistleblower complaint brought by a former in-house attorney who alleges he was fired after bringing attention to alleged unlawful transactions with Iran in 2021.
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March 25, 2025
Amazon Slams 'Alternative Reading' Of ERISA In Worker Suit
Amazon on Monday urged a Washington federal court to throw out a worker's proposed class action alleging that Amazon used abandoned retirement plan funds to offset its own contributions, arguing that the suit's "alternative reading" of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act "flies in the face of" the well-established practice.
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March 25, 2025
PTAB Leader Explains Denial Policy After Withdrawn Memo
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board's chief judge has provided guidance to the board's other members on how to decide whether to use discretion to deny review of patents based on related litigation, after a previous memo on the issue was withdrawn last month.
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March 25, 2025
Mondelez, Ghost Beat Suit Over Candy-Flavored Energy Drink
An Illinois federal judge has tossed out parents' claims that Mondelez and energy drink maker Ghost illegally deceive consumers into thinking Ghost's "Sour Patch Kids"-flavored beverages are suitable for children, saying no reasonable adult consumer would interpret the labels that way.
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March 25, 2025
Philly Beats Curfew Suit By Minority-Owned Liquor Stores
A Pennsylvania federal judge dismissed, for now, a constitutional challenge by Asian American and Arab American business owners who alleged Philadelphia city officials unfairly targeted their shops with arbitrary late-night curfews and nuisance ordinances, ruling Monday they lacked standing since none of them received fines or were ordered to shut down.
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March 25, 2025
7-Eleven Defends Cautious Antitrust Approach To Deal Talks
The parent company of 7-Eleven on Tuesday defended its wary approach to a proposed acquisition by Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. saying it has legitimate concerns about the deal clearing U.S. antitrust enforcers.
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March 25, 2025
Privacy Statements OK By Pa. Wiretapping Law, Judge Says
Websites that disclose third-party data collection in privacy statements that a "reasonably prudent person" could see do not violate Pennsylvania's laws against wiretapping, a federal judge has ruled, throwing out a long-running lawsuit that defendants claimed could have rendered many websites illegal.
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March 25, 2025
Court Tosses Suit Alleging NY Pot Regulations Are Biased
A New York federal judge on Tuesday dismissed an action alleging that the Empire State's cannabis social equity licensure program discriminated against white men.
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March 25, 2025
No More C-Suite 'Deference' At FTC, Ferguson Says
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson took aim Tuesday at previous antitrust enforcers' "hands off" approach, which he said worried too much about stifling Big Tech's momentum and innovation and not enough about the power that online platforms "wielded over our daily lives."
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March 25, 2025
Franchise Group Senior Lenders Sue Junior Creditors
First-lien lenders of debtor Franchise Group Ltd. that are owed $1 billion have filed an adversary complaint in the retail chain operator's Chapter 11 case in Delaware, saying junior lenders owed more than $100 million are seeking to cash out secured collateral in violation of an intercreditor agreement.
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March 25, 2025
Va. Gov. Youngkin Blocks Recreational Cannabis Sales Again
Glenn Youngkin, the Republican governor of Virginia, on Monday once again vetoed lawmaker-approved legislation that would have taxed and regulated the sale of adult-use cannabis.
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March 25, 2025
Baker Botts Atty Says Patent Exec Can't Prove Defamation
A Baker Botts LLP lawyer is contending that a Florida federal court cannot side with a patent-licensing company executive on his defamation claim against the attorney over her comments in a news article about a patent suit against Starbucks, saying she didn't say anything false.
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March 25, 2025
No Easy Out In $5M Mich. Dispensary Flip-Flop Suit
A Michigan federal court has refused to hand a win to either party in developer American 5 LLC's suit alleging a Michigan township improperly revoked its permit for a marijuana dispensary, finding that the parties hadn't resolved whether the permit was the developer's to begin with.
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March 25, 2025
DEA Seeks Exit From Hemp Group's Suit Over Raid
Federal drug enforcers have asked a Texas federal judge to release them from a hemp industry trade group and retailer's lawsuit challenging the legality of a raid on a smoke shop, saying that the enforcement actions at issue were conducted by local authorities.
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March 25, 2025
Ariz. AG Warns Cops, Retailers About Illegal THC Sales
Arizona's attorney general has sent letters to both retailers and law enforcement over the sale of THC products by unlicensed shops, clarifying that such sales are illegal and giving them a month to prepare for enforcement by the attorney general's office.
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March 24, 2025
Beyond Meat Sued On Allegations Broker Accessed User Data
Plant-based meat substitute producer Beyond Meat Inc. has covertly teamed up with data broker Experian to track website visitors and sell their personal data "to the highest bidders" without their permission, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.
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March 24, 2025
T-Mobile, Customers Push Dish For Docs In Sprint Merger Suit
T-Mobile and the customers suing over its 2020 merger with Sprint are both asking an Illinois federal judge to force Dish to turn over discovery documents, with the plaintiffs claiming the documents are key to showing why Dish never became an effective competitor in the wireless market.
Expert Analysis
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2 Cases May Enlighten UK Funds' Securities Litigation Path
Following recent nine-figure settlements in securities class actions against Apple and Under Armour, U.K. pension funds may increasingly lead U.S. shareholder derivative suits, advocating for transparency, better risk management and stronger governance practices, say lawyers at Labaton Keller.
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Series
Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.
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How To Manage During A Trade Dispute With USMCA Partners
Companies can try to minimize the potential impacts of future tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, and uncertainty about future trade relations, by evaluating supply chains, considering how they may be modified, and engaging with the new administration over exemptions and the upcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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3 Factors Affecting Retail M&A Deals In 2025
Retailers considering mergers and acquisitions this year face an evolving antitrust environment, including a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump, revised merger guidelines and a precedent set last year by a canceled $8.5 billion handbag merger, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation
Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.
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Searching For Insight On Requested Google Chrome Remedy
The potential for Google to divest its Chrome browser — a remedy requested by the Justice Department following a D.C. federal court’s finding the company is a monopolist — has drawn both criticism and endorsement, but legal precedent likely supports the former, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
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Lessons Learned From 2024's Top ADA Decisions
Last year's major litigation related to the Americans with Disabilities Act highlights that when dealing with accommodation requests, employers must communicate clearly, appreciate context and remain flexible in addressing needs, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Series
Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.
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Fed. Circ. In December: A Patent Prosecution History Lesson
Despite relying on two rock-solid principles of patent law, DDR lost its Federal Circuit case against Priceline.com, highlighting how a change in the scope of the invention from the provisional to the nonprovisional application can affect the court's analysis of how a skilled artisan would understand claim terms after reading the prosecution history, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.
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Retailers Must Adapt As Courts Shift On False Price Claims
The increasing frequency with which courts are denying motions to dismiss false reference price claims signals that these lawsuits are not going away anytime soon, so retailers must be prepared for a more complex and prolonged defense process, say attorneys at Akerman.
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An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025
As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.
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Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments
As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.
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Series
Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer
From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.
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2024's Most Notable FTC Actions Against Dark Patterns And AI
In 2024 the Federal Trade Commission ramped up enforcement actions related to dark patterns, loudly signaling its concern that advertisers will use AI to manipulate consumer habits and its intention to curb businesses' use and marketing of AI to prevent alleged consumer deception, say attorneys at Goodwin.
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Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team
In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.