Retail & E-Commerce

  • December 09, 2024

    NC Hemp Store Owners Say Raids Targeted Their Race

    North Carolina sheriff's deputies allegedly "ransacked" and robbed two hemp stores and harassed their Middle Eastern owners in an effort to run them out of their community despite the businesses being legal, according to a new complaint filed in federal court.

  • December 09, 2024

    Paul Hastings, Paul Weiss Lead $6.7B Pactiv Evergreen Sale

    Packaging products maker Novolex, advised by Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, on Monday announced that it will combine with food merchandising product manufacturer Pactiv Evergreen, led by Paul Hastings LLP, in a $6.7 billion take-private deal that is backed by private equity funds.

  • December 06, 2024

    USDA Orders Raw Milk Be Tested For Bird Flu

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday issued a federal order requiring raw milk across the country to be tested as part of an effort to control and stop the spread of bird flu.

  • December 06, 2024

    Neb. Tribe Asks US High Court To Undo Tobacco Sales Ruling

    A Nebraska tribe's tobacco companies are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an Eighth Circuit ruling that held the state can regulate a tribally owned manufacturer's sales of cigarettes to Indigenous-owned distributors, arguing that Native American nations' ability to conduct their own affairs within their own borders is at stake.

  • December 06, 2024

    Judge Denies Publix Bid To Appeal Opioid Coverage Ruling

    A Florida federal judge on Friday rejected Publix's request for a judgment that would have allowed it to immediately appeal a decision that said seven of its insurance policies didn't provide coverage for opioid lawsuits the grocery chain is facing.

  • December 06, 2024

    Mich. Pot Cos. Get A Shot At Undoing Rivals' Licenses

    Two Detroit-area companies that largely lost their bids challenging a municipality's award of marijuana retail licenses to competing enterprises will get an opportunity to invalidate those permits in court, a Michigan state appeals court has ruled, finding the city violated the state's open meetings law.

  • December 06, 2024

    J&J Seeks New Talc Trial As Developer Seeks $30M More

    As Johnson & Johnson seeks to toss the underlying verdict, a real estate developer and cancer patient who was awarded $15 million in compensation from a talc trial jury has asked a Connecticut state judge to award another $30 million to punish the company for allegedly putting "profits over people."

  • December 06, 2024

    FTC Dems Tout Impact of Handbag Merger Win

    The Federal Trade Commission's leader said a recent court ruling that led the owners of Coach and Michael Kors to abandon their planned $8.5 billion tie-up should make it easier to prove mergers hurt competition without needing to rely on expensive economic experts.

  • December 06, 2024

    Mandelbaum Barrett Beats DQ Bid Appeal In Pharmacy Fight

    Mandelbaum Barrett PC defeated a disqualification motion Friday in a pharmacy ownership dispute, with a New Jersey state appeals court ruling that a former Mandelbaum Barrett attorney's previous work for the pharmacies was not relevant to the current case.

  • December 06, 2024

    Off The Bench: Kyrie Irving Sued, Golf's New Transgender Ban

    In this week's Off The Bench, the New York Knicks and Rangers sue the unknown masses of people selling counterfeit team gear, a therapist who put on a family retreat for Kyrie Irving sues him over the bill, and two major golf organizations block transgender players from women's tournaments.

  • December 06, 2024

    New Balance Hit With Patent Suit Over Track Cleats

    A Texas patent holder sued New Balance in Massachusetts federal court Friday, alleging that four models in New Balance's FuelCell SuperComp line of cleated running shoes are similar to its design for sneakers that include composite or laminate materials.

  • December 06, 2024

    Evenflo Nears Settlement In Booster Seat MDL

    Baby product maker Evenflo said Friday that it has reached an agreement in principle to settle multidistrict litigation alleging it made deceptive statements about the safety of its Big Kid booster seats.

  • December 05, 2024

    'Krank3d' TM Too Close To Rival 'Krank'd': 11th Circuit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday refused to disturb a lower court's decision temporarily barring energy drink maker Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals from using the trademark "Krank3d," agreeing with the district court that the mark appears to be too similar to a competitor's "Get Krank'd" trademark.

  • December 05, 2024

    Internet Archive Won't Take E-Book Fair Use To Justices

    The Internet Archive on Wednesday said it will not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on whether its practice of distributing copyrighted e-books for free without permission from some of the world's biggest publishers is excused by the Copyright Act's fair use doctrine.

  • December 05, 2024

    Texas Lt. Gov. Wants Ban On Hemp-Derived THC Products

    Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has unveiled legislation that looks to ban all forms of consumable THC, including hemp products that "might include unremovable, nonintoxicating trace amounts of delta-9 THC."

  • December 05, 2024

    Netgear Seeks Anti-Suit Injunction Over Huawei's Wi-Fi SEPs

    Netgear is urging a California federal judge to block Chinese router-maker Huawei Technologies from seeking injunctions through Wi-Fi patent infringement actions the company pursued in foreign courts, arguing that Huawei is trying to impose excessive royalty rates and is avoiding its commitment to license its patents on reasonable terms.

  • December 05, 2024

    Gov't Efficiency Push Is A 'New Day,' House Speaker Says

    House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., spoke excitedly Thursday about the new government efficiency operation helmed by billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and touted the budding bipartisan lineup of a congressional caucus that will work with it.

  • December 05, 2024

    Amazon Says Section 230 Shields Against Casino App Suit

    Amazon said Wednesday a federal judge should toss a proposed class action accusing the e-commerce giant of promoting and selling "social casino" apps that enable illegal gambling, arguing the company is immune under a federal law regulating internet content because it did not create the games.

  • December 05, 2024

    Judge Snubs Bid For $1M Bond On $22M 'Comfy' IP Verdict

    An Arizona federal judge on Wednesday rejected a retailer's bid to pay a $1 million bond while appealing a $22 million judgment against it for infringing the design patents of Cozy Comfort Co., the maker of the "Comfy" sweatshirt featured on "Shark Tank."

  • December 05, 2024

    Sports Collectibles Exec Gets 51 Months For Investment Fraud

    The owner of a Las Vegas sports memorabilia company was sentenced to four years and three months in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to lying to investors as part of a fraud scheme that prosecutors said funded a lavish lifestyle.

  • December 05, 2024

    SpaceX Seeks Astronomical $350B Value, And More Rumors

    SpaceX is in discussions for a transaction that could value the rocket and spacecraft maker at about $350 billion, the private equity owner of Crunch Fitness could sell the health club at a $1.5 billion value, and the management group looking to buy the Japanese owner of 7-Eleven may launch an IPO. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • December 05, 2024

    Macy's, Bank And Parking Garage Settle $2.7M Repair Fight

    Macy's Retail Holdings has resolved litigation against it by a bank and a parking lot operator over $2.7 million in repairs and maintenance fees needed at a nearby parking garage, according to a Thursday court filing.

  • December 05, 2024

    Audible's Expiring Membership Credits Illegal, Consumer Says

    Audible Inc. is the target of a proposed class action accusing the audiobook retailer of selling credits that expire after one year, in violation of Washington consumer law.

  • December 05, 2024

    FDA Warns 115 Retailers Over Unauthorized E-Cigarettes

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters to 115 retailers across the country for selling unauthorized e-cigarettes that appeal to youths, the agency said Thursday.

  • December 05, 2024

    Medical Pot Group Sues NY Over New $20M Licensing Fee

    The New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association Inc. is suing the state's cannabis regulators, saying a new $20 million fee to convert operators' licenses from medical to adult use is an unconstitutional and punitive tax aimed at keeping them out of the adult-use market.

Expert Analysis

  • Co-Tenancy Clause Pointers For Shopping Center Landlords

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    Large retail tenants often require co-tenancy provisions in their leases, entitling them to remedies if a shopping center's occupancy drops in certain ways, but landlords must draft these provisions carefully to avoid giving tenants too much control, says Gary Glick at Cox Castle.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Assessing Algorithmic Versus Generative AI Pricing Tools

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    A comparison of traditional algorithmic pricing models and those powered by generative artificial intelligence can help regulators and practitioners weigh the pros and cons of relying on large language models to price products or services, say Maxime Cohen at McGill University, and Tim Spittle and Jimmy Royer at Analysis Group.

  • 3 Patent Considerations For America's New Quantum Hub

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    Recent developments signal an incredibly bright future for Chicago as the new home of quantum computing, and it is crucial that these innovators — whose technology has the potential to transform many industries — prioritize intellectual property strategy, says Andrew Velzen at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

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    Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies

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    An analysis of insider trading policies recently disclosed by 49 S&P 500 companies under a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule reveals that while specific provisions vary from company to company, certain common themes are emerging, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • 11 Patent Cases To Watch At Fed. Circ. And High Court

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    As we head into fall, there are 11 patent cases to monitor, touching on a range of issues that could affect patent strategy, such as biotech innovation, administrative rulemaking and patent eligibility, say Edward Lanquist and Wesley Barbee at Baker Donelson.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

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    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

  • Finding Coverage For Online Retail Privacy Class Actions

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    Following recent court rulings interpreting state invasion of privacy and electronic surveillance statutes triggering a surge in the filing of privacy class actions against online retailers, companies should examine their various insurance policies, including E&O and D&O, for defense coverage of these claims, says Alison Gaske at Gilbert LLP.

  • Trending At The PTAB: Obviousness In Director Reviews

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    Three July decisions from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office favoring petitioners indicate a willingness by the director to review substantive issues, such as obviousness, particularly in cases where the director believes the Patent Trial and Appeal Board provided incorrect or inadequate rationale to support its decisions, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • How Cos. Can Leverage IP In Corporate Bankruptcy

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    In light of an increase in year-to-date Chapter 11 filings, businesses must understand the importance and value of intellectual property in corporate bankruptcy and restructuring, from contributing to enterprise value, to providing leverage in negotiations and facilitating recovery, says Gregory Campanella at Ocean Tomo.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Portland's Gross Receipts Tax Oversteps City's Authority

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    Recent measures by Portland, Oregon, that expand the voter-approved scope of the Clean Energy Surcharge on certain retail sales eviscerate the common meaning of the word "retail" and exceed the city's chartered authority to levy tax, say Nikki Dobay at Greenberg Traurig and Jeff Newgard at Peak Policy.

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