Retail & E-Commerce

  • December 02, 2024

    Circle K Fights How Denver Counts Tobacco-To-School Span

    The convenience store chain Circle K is suing Denver to challenge the city's application of a law requiring tobacco sales occur no closer than 1,000 feet from schools, alleging in a state court complaint that an erroneous approach to distance measurements will limit Circle K's ability to open new stores.

  • December 02, 2024

    Shipping Industry Braces For Waves Of New Trump Tariffs

    After a holiday weekend marked by a fresh round of tariff threats from President-elect Donald Trump, the shipping and logistics industry is beginning to feel the heat, warning companies to prepare for massive upheaval if Trump follows through.

  • December 02, 2024

    EBay Didn't Pay Manual Workers Weekly, Suit Says

    Online retail giant eBay Inc. failed to pay manual workers at a Queens, New York, warehouse on a weekly basis as required under state and federal labor law, according to a suit filed in federal court.

  • November 27, 2024

    Google Wants 9th Circ. To Undo Play Store Ruling In Epic Row

    Google has pressed the Ninth Circuit to reverse an injunction forcing it to allow third-party app distribution on its Play Store, arguing that the lower court's ruling will "directly undercut Google's efforts to compete against Apple and the iPhone."

  • November 27, 2024

    Starbucks, Baker Botts Partner Accused Of Defaming Inventor

    An executive for a patent-licensing company that's pursuing infringement litigation against numerous restaurants over a patent that lets customers place mobile orders using a real-time menu that can make personalized suggestions accused Starbucks and its Baker Botts LLP attorney in a lawsuit Wednesday of making defamatory statements about him.

  • November 27, 2024

    'Vanderpump Rules' Star Neglecting Her TM Case, Judge Says

    A California federal judge says Bravo TV star Lala Kent missed a deadline for moving forward with a trademark case against a cosmetics consultant accused of running the "Give Them Lala" brand without her permission.

  • November 27, 2024

    Zurich Defeats Burlington's $750M COVID-19 Coverage Suit

    Zurich American has permanently defeated Burlington Stores' COVID-19 pandemic coverage suit after a New Jersey federal judge said the retailer's attempt to use "clever semantics to avoid dismissal" failed to demonstrate it suffered direct physical loss or damage to its property, or that virus particles physically altered objects or surfaces.

  • November 27, 2024

    Amazon Judge Says Appeal Too Soon In Ongoing Privacy Suit

    A Washington federal judge has said he won't issue a final judgment to allow consumers to appeal his previous ruling tossing most of the claims in a suit alleging that palm scanners at joint Starbucks-Amazon stores violate biometric privacy law, because one of the plaintiffs has a remaining claim.

  • November 27, 2024

    Wash. Appeals Court Slams Brakes On Lucid EV Dealerships

    Automaker Lucid can't sell its electric vehicles directly to Washington consumers, a state appellate court has ruled, agreeing with regulators that granting the company the necessary license would violate a state law designed to protect car dealers from unfair competition from manufacturers.

  • November 27, 2024

    DOL Sued For OSHA Info In NJ Amazon Warehouse Deaths

    The U.S. Department of Labor has been hit with a lawsuit by a labor advocate seeking records related to investigations of three deaths at Amazon.com Inc.'s "notoriously hazardous warehouses" in New Jersey in 2022, saying the agency failed to comply with Freedom of Information Act deadlines.

  • November 27, 2024

    Biden Administration Adds 65K Additional H-2B Work Visas

    The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it has created a temporary rule to add 64,716 additional temporary H-2B work visas for the third year in a row to be doled out to businesses struggling with staffing issues. 

  • November 27, 2024

    Kroger Inks $21M Deal With 47K Workers Over Pay Delay

    Approximately 47,000 Kroger employees told an Ohio federal judge Tuesday they've reached a $21 million class action settlement with the grocery giant over claims it either failed to pay them or made inaccurate deductions from their wages after switching to a new timekeeping system that experienced a glitch in 2022.

  • November 27, 2024

    Vidal Lays Out Reasoning For Reviving Lighting IP Challenge

    Binding Luminex International Co. Ltd. to one of its customers in a way that would block the company from challenging a Signify Holdings BV lighting patent at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board could lead to situations of patent owners launching infringement suits to dodge certain patent challenges, the head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has found.

  • November 27, 2024

    Up Next At The High Court: Transgender Care, Holocaust Art

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench Monday for its December arguments session, which will include blockbuster questions about the constitutionality of state laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors and whether Hungary can be held liable for property stolen during World War II.

  • November 27, 2024

    Virgin Islands Mall, Lloyd's End $6M Spat Over July 4 Fire

    The owner of a historic marketplace in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which accused certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London of denying more than $6 million in claims after an Independence Day fire, agreed to drop all claims against the underwriter, according to a notice Monday.

  • November 27, 2024

    IP Atty, Wife Say Mich. Pot Co.'s Defamation Suit Is Too Old

    A Montana intellectual property attorney and his wife have urged a Michigan federal judge to dismiss a cannabis company's lawsuit alleging the couple posted falsehoods about the business on social media and made false tips to Michigan cannabis authorities, arguing that the claims are time-barred.

  • November 26, 2024

    Sundance Can't Ditch Suit Over Purchase Data Disclosures

    A Utah federal judge has refused to toss a proposed class action accusing specialty retailer Sundance of unlawfully sharing its customers' private information with various third parties, finding that a ban on class actions contained in the state law being relied on by the plaintiffs didn't doom the dispute. 

  • November 26, 2024

    Macy's Says High Court Ruling Guts DOL's Tobacco Fee Case

    Macy's urged an Ohio federal judge to ax a U.S. Department of Labor claim that the company discriminated against tobacco users by charging them an extra fee through its health insurance plan, arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright ruling disqualifies the agency's regulations at issue.

  • November 26, 2024

    Amazon Not Liable For Chemical Used In Suicides, Panel Says

    A Washington state appeals court on Monday said Amazon can't be sued for the online sale of a chemical that four people used to kill themselves, in an opinion that said the state's product liability law has not caught up with the "previously unfathomable accessibility to instrumentalities of death."

  • November 26, 2024

    Workers Say Kroger-Albertsons No-Poach Deal Hurt Wages

    A Colorado grocery store employee has filed a putative class action accusing Kroger Co. and Albertsons Cos. Inc. of scheming to suppress workers' wages, alleging in a state court complaint that the grocers entered into an illegal "no-poach" agreement during a 2022 strike.

  • November 26, 2024

    Smart Devices Fail To Disclose Security Lifespan, FTC Says

    As holiday shopping gets underway, the Federal Trade Commission is raising alarm about smart device update disclosures, saying an overwhelming majority of devices – from hearing aids to home security cameras and fitness devices — come without clear information on how long the manufacturer will keep them protected from security risks.

  • November 26, 2024

    Google Search Judge Says AI Will Affect Remedy Phase

    The judge overseeing the government's search monopolization case against Google suggested Tuesday in D.C. federal court that artificial intelligence is shifting the market and will likely play a role in the remedies the court imposes on Google for allegedly violating antitrust law.

  • November 26, 2024

    New Orleans Property Owner Revives Bid To Nix Arbitration

    A New Orleans property owner has again urged a Louisiana federal judge to overturn his order forcing it to arbitrate a $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim with 11 insurers for a block of luxury apartments and retail shops, pointing to a recent ruling by the state's top court.

  • November 26, 2024

    Amazon May Still Face La. Claims Over Battery Charger Fire

    A Louisiana federal judge has cut out some claims in a suit brought by a man who died in a fire allegedly caused by a defective battery charger sold on Amazon by a Chinese company, but said the online retailer should still face some claims under state law since it stored, labeled and shipped the charger.

  • November 26, 2024

    Hemp Org. Warns Farm Bill Would Ban Some Legal Products

    A major hemp trade organization said Tuesday the Senate Democrats' version of the Farm Bill has some "concerning" implications for hemp that could result in product bans.

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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