Retail & E-Commerce

  • November 21, 2024

    DOJ Urges Chrome, Android Sales In Google Case

    The U.S. Department of Justice late Wednesday formally asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge to order a range of steps to end Google's monopolization of general search services and the text ads shown alongside search results, most notably by forcing the company to spin off the Chrome browser.

  • November 20, 2024

    CVS Can't Dodge Proposed Action Over 'Non-Drowsy' Claims

    CVS Pharmacy must continue facing a proposed class action alleging it "dangerously" markets over-the-counter medicine as "non-drowsy" despite containing a substance known to cause drowsiness after a Missouri federal judge on Wednesday refused to toss claims lodged under Missouri and other states' consumer protection laws.

  • November 20, 2024

    Lululemon Execs Hit With Derivative Suit Over DEI Program

    Lululemon leadership was hit with a shareholder derivative suit Wednesday claiming they made false statements related to the company's new "Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action" program that artificially boosted the company's stock price and also concealed problems with the company's inventory allocation.

  • November 20, 2024

    9th Circ. Judge Asks How Loper Bright Impacts EPA Fine Case

    A Ninth Circuit judge wondered on Wednesday what weight the court should give the Environmental Protection Agency's view in a chemical wholesaler's appeal of an $850,000 fine in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision, suggesting the justices might next end agency deference in regulatory interpretation.

  • November 20, 2024

    Wash. Judge Questions Startup's Amazon Antitrust Claims

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday suggested that antitrust claims might not survive in a startup's complaint against Amazon Web Services involving a dispute over higher-speed internet connections in the Middle East that allowed the startup to cater to its customer Epic Games.

  • November 20, 2024

    Nike Accused Of 'Smear Campaign' Over $60M Trademark Suit

    A Los Angeles-based company that made customized sneakers for celebrities and athletes hit back Tuesday at Nike's $60 million trademark suit, saying that despite the companies' previous collaborations, Nike is now making knowing false claims in a "smear campaign" to crush its business.

  • November 20, 2024

    DEA Accused Of Colluding With Reform Foes In Pot Row

    Cannabis reform advocates have alleged that the Drug Enforcement Administration "stacked the deck" by colluding with anti-legalization interests and giving them improper opportunities to participate in upcoming hearings on a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on the drug.

  • November 20, 2024

    Apple Says DOJ Case Has Too Much Speculation To Survive

    Apple's attorneys pressed a New Jersey federal judge Wednesday to toss the U.S. Department of Justice's monopolization lawsuit, asserting in oral arguments that the government is simply trying to force them to work with rivals when attacking controls imposed on iPhone app developers.

  • November 20, 2024

    CPSC Misunderstands Magnet Risks For Kids, Court Told

    An attorney for the magnet industry told the Tenth Circuit on Wednesday that consumer safety regulators wrongly focused on the size of magnets when trying to protect children from the danger of swallowing them, when the real danger of high-powered magnets comes from swallowing multiple magnets, regardless of size, not single magnets that may be small enough to swallow.

  • November 20, 2024

    Attys Get $9K After Seeking $578K For Defending Safeway

    A California federal judge awarded about $8,800 in fees to two firms that requested $578,000 after defending Safeway from a contractor's 2021 lawsuit, saying Wednesday that the figure shouldn't come as a surprise because the attorneys simply pointed to a request-for-proposal document to defeat the suit's breach of contract allegations.

  • November 20, 2024

    Former Amazon Worker Says Flagging Bias Cost Him His Job

    An Amazon.com unit fired a Black, gay executive assistant for complaining that he was unfairly passed over for promotions and belittled by a hostile supervisor, according to a lawsuit filed in Atlanta federal court.

  • November 20, 2024

    Cross-Border Sales Were Unlawful Monopoly, Feds Say

    Prosecutors have urged a Texas federal judge to deny a dismissal bid from two people accused of using violence to monopolize cross-border sales of used cars, saying the individuals were not operating the lawful clerical service they claimed to be running.

  • November 20, 2024

    Amid Legal Challenge, La. Hemp Law On Hold

    A Louisiana law that would issue new regulation on the potency of hemp-derived intoxicants along with where they can be sold will not go into effect until the end of March, allowing time for briefing from state officials and hemp interests challenging the law.

  • November 20, 2024

    Veggie Co. Hit With False Ad Suit Over E. Coli Outbreak

    A proposed class of consumers is suing Grimmway Enterprises Inc., alleging that it failed to disclose that its whole and baby carrot products were or could be contaminated with e. coli, deceiving buyers into thinking they were safe for consumption.

  • November 20, 2024

    Atty Seeks Ruling Letting Him Sell Unlicensed NFL Merchandise

    A man representing himself pro se has argued in a New York federal complaint that he should be allowed to sell unlicensed National Football League merchandise that features team designs and logos, because his use is "functional" and allowed without a license.

  • November 20, 2024

    Infant Sleep Co. Says CPSC Wrongly Maligned Products

    Dreamland Baby Co. is suing the Consumer Product Safety Commission and other government agencies in D.C. federal court, alleging that the CPSC broke its own rules when a "rogue" commissioner told retailers that its infant weighted sleep products were dangerous.

  • November 20, 2024

    Amazon Settles Military Leave Bias Suit Ahead Of Trial

    Amazon has settled an employee's suit claiming the online retail giant blocked him from promotions because he took leave to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, prompting a Washington federal judge on Wednesday to halt a trial that was set to begin in the case next month.

  • November 20, 2024

    Walgreens Wins Sanctions Over Depo With 300 Objections

    An Illinois federal judge on Wednesday ruled Walgreens can recover the costs of a contentious deposition in a dispute with an electronics company, saying the witness "possessed virtually no knowledge" of the matters laid out in the deposition notice and the company's attorney engaged in "improper, obstructionist conduct" during the proceeding.

  • November 20, 2024

    Pa. Jury Finds Clothing Co. Infringed Penn State Trademarks

    Online retailer Vintage Brand infringed Pennsylvania State University's trademarks by selling unlicensed merchandise with "historic" images associated with the university, a Keystone State federal jury has found.

  • November 19, 2024

    Monsanto's Bid To Pause PCB Trial Again Shot Down

    A Washington state appellate commissioner on Friday again refused to undo a trial court's decision not to pause a chemical poisoning tort trial playing out in Seattle, rejecting Monsanto's contention that the court committed "obvious error" in letting the trial proceed while the state's highest court decides a similar case.

  • November 19, 2024

    Ex-OpenSea Staffer Says Insider Trading Verdict Must Fall

    A former OpenSea manager accused of insider trading from digital tokens sold on his employer's platform urged the Second Circuit Tuesday to overturn his conviction, saying his ideas about what to feature on his company's website cannot be construed as property.

  • November 19, 2024

    Cannabis Bag Co.'s Suit Against Marketing Firm Survives

    The manufacturer of specialized bags used to store marijuana will get to proceed with its lawsuit against a cannabis industry–focused branding firm, a federal judge in Seattle ruled, saying the suit plausibly claims the marketing agency buried the manufacturer's online search ranking by crashing its website.

  • November 19, 2024

    What's On Deck At 10th Circ. Arguments In CPSC Magnet Case

    On Wednesday, the Tenth Circuit will hear arguments over whether a rule from the Consumer Product Safety Commission over safety standards for high-powered magnets is overly broad and unconstitutional. Here, Law360 looks at what the parties are expected to argue.

  • November 19, 2024

    Costco Shoppers Say Kirkland Fish Oil Pills Hide Heart Risks

    Costco shoppers filed a putative false advertising class action in California federal court Monday accusing the big-box retailer of misleading consumers to believe its Kirkland brand of fish oil omega-3 supplements have heart health benefits, despite there being increased risks associated with fish oil, including atrial fibrillation.

  • November 19, 2024

    Court Won't Toss Consumer Antitrust Case Against Amazon

    A Washington federal court issued a sealed order Tuesday denying Amazon's bid to toss updated claims from consumers seeking billions of dollars over allegations that they pay higher prices thanks to the e-commerce giant's treatment of sellers on its platform.

Expert Analysis

  • Commerce Proposal Could Ease Trade Remedy Administration

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    Recently proposed international trade enforcement regulations could help the U.S. Department of Commerce more easily administer antidumping and countervailing duty remedies, in turn maximizing relief to American companies adversely affected by unfair trade, says Natan Tubman at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • Rise Of Transpo Contractors Brings Insurance Disputes

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    As more independent contractors are contracted and subcontracted in the delivery industry, companies must be prepared to defend claims from drivers who are injured on the job as they are often seeking to establish an employment relationship with one of the entities in the chain, says Nathan Milner at Goldberg Segalla.

  • 'Greenhushing': Why Some Cos. Are Keeping Quiet On ESG

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    A wave of ESG-related litigation and regulations have led some companies to retreat altogether from any public statements about their ESG goals, a trend known as "greenhushing" that was at the center of a recent D.C. court decision involving Coca-Cola, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.

  • 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.

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