Retail & E-Commerce

  • April 15, 2025

    Expeditors' IT Shutdown Suit Nudged Toward Mediation

    A Washington federal judge said Tuesday a sporting gear company's cybersecurity claims against a logistics contractor will likely survive, but suggested the parties try mediation instead of going straight to trial because it will be "next to impossible" for jurors to set aside their preconceived notions about the internet.

  • April 15, 2025

    Apple Sued By Wash. IPhone Buyers Over Missing Repair Info

    Apple Inc. "deceptively" omits information on its iPhone packaging that's required under Washington state law, including warranty terms and the costs to repair the phone, according to a proposed consumer class action filed in California federal court.

  • April 15, 2025

    Paul Weiss To Narrow Forever 21 Work Amid Conflict Claims

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP told a Delaware bankruptcy judge Tuesday that it would be willing to reduce its proposed work for liquidating retailer Forever 21 in response to an objection by the U.S. Department of Justice's bankruptcy watchdog, which argued the firm is conflicted in the Chapter 11 case and shouldn't be hired by the debtor.

  • April 15, 2025

    Pot Shop Challenges NY Cannabis Labor Peace Law

    A New York cannabis company on Monday launched a federal lawsuit challenging a provision of the state's marijuana legalization law that requires licensed businesses to maintain labor peace agreements with their workers, saying it is preempted by federal law.

  • April 15, 2025

    Meta Accused Of Turning Smart Devices Into Useless 'Bricks'

    Consumers hit Meta Platforms Inc. with a proposed class action in California federal court Monday, accusing the social media giant of a deceptive "bait-and-switch" scheme by advertising Meta's Portal video-calling smart devices with wide-ranging features only to later discontinue key software functionality rendering its hardware "largely obsolete," useless "bricks."

  • April 15, 2025

    Deodorant Maker Hit With Class Claims Over Skin Burns

    Edgewell Personal Care Co. is liable for chemical burns and other "painful and irritating skin issues" that users of its Billie brand All Day Deodorant have experienced, a proposed federal class action alleges.

  • April 15, 2025

    DC Maintains, Expands Tax Exemptions For NBA, NHL Arena

    The District of Columbia maintained and expanded tax breaks for the property and airspace of Capital One Arena, home to the NBA's Washington Wizards and NHL's Washington Capitals, as part of legislation that became law, according to a notice published in the district's register.

  • April 15, 2025

    McDonald's, Dunkin' Franchisees Resolve Child Labor Claims

    The owners of Dunkin' and McDonald's franchises in Massachusetts have reached settlements over allegations they violated the state's child labor laws, while a Subway franchise operator has been fined, according to a Tuesday press release.

  • April 14, 2025

    Covington, Latham Guide In Lowe's $1.3B Artisan Design Buy

    Lowe's, advised by Covington & Burling LLP, has entered a definitive agreement to buy Dallas-based interior finishing company Artisan Design Group for more than $1.3 billion, expanding the reach of the American home improvement retail giant's professional services, dubbed Lowe's Pro, Lowe's announced Monday.

  • April 14, 2025

    Herbalife Wins $1.55M For Unauthorized $20M Computer Deal

    A California federal jury on Friday awarded Herbalife International of America Inc. $1.55 million in damages from Eastern Computer Exchange after finding the computer equipment reseller deceptively concealed an order for millions of dollars in Dell computers that the dietary supplement company claims it never ordered.

  • April 14, 2025

    Linking Friends No Longer Meta's Focus, Zuckerberg Says

    Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified Monday that the social media giant is no longer solely focused on connecting friends and family, arguing on the first day of the Federal Trade Commission's monopolization trial that the company has broader focus and faces more competition than the FTC claims.

  • April 14, 2025

    Juul Seeks Ax of Noncompliant Plaintiffs In E-Cig Suits

    Juul on Monday asked a California federal judge to toss claims brought by plaintiffs who failed to comply with court orders, about two years after Juul reached a $255 million global settlement in the litigation.

  • April 14, 2025

    Groupon Urges Full Fed. Circ. To Undo Panel's IP Suit Revival

    Groupon Inc. is pushing the full Federal Circuit to intervene after a panel allowed Kroy IP Holdings to proceed with a suit accusing it of infringing unchallenged claims of partly invalidated patents.

  • April 14, 2025

    Apple Wants Renewed Cloud Storage Monopoly Suit Tossed

    Apple has urged a California federal court to toss the latest version of a proposed class action alleging it gives its iCloud service an advantage over third-party cloud storage providers, saying it limits certain remote-backup features for security and privacy.

  • April 14, 2025

    Verizon Says Unlocking Rules Are Boon To Crime Rings

    Verizon is asking the Federal Communications Commission to allow carriers to wait longer before unlocking customers' devices, telling the agency that device locking is one of the only effective tools for combating phone trafficking crime rings.

  • April 14, 2025

    Conn. PE Firm Wants $12M Joy Dish Soap Suit Washed Away

    A private equity firm that bought the Joy dish soap brand has asked a Connecticut trial court judge to nix a manufacturer's claim that the firm should be held liable for a holding company's alleged failure to pay after asking the manufacturer to ramp up production.

  • April 14, 2025

    Real Estate-Focused SPAC Prepares For $200M IPO

    Special purpose acquisition company Timber Road Acquisition Corp. filed documents on Monday that outlined its plans for a $200 million initial public offering in search of merger targets in real estate and consumer industries, with Reed Smith LLP representing the company and Loeb & Loeb LLP as counsel for an underwriter.

  • April 14, 2025

    CFPB To Vacate Credit Card Late Fee Rule In Deal With Banks

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Monday it has agreed to vacate as unlawful its $8 credit card late fee rule as part of a deal with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other trade groups to settle their litigation over the agency's Biden-era rule.

  • April 12, 2025

    Baking Chemicals Co. Wins $7.25M In Trade Secrets Trial

    A Pennsylvania jury on Friday awarded $7.25 million to a baking chemicals maker that claimed a former partner-turned-rival and two ex-employees stole trade secrets, following a weeklong trial in Pittsburgh's federal court.

  • April 11, 2025

    Patent Exec Hasn't Yet Proven Defamation In Baker Botts Case

    A Florida federal judge held Friday that it's too early to rule in favor of a patent licensing company executive accusing a Baker Botts LLP attorney of defamation, ruling that there are still "material facts in dispute."

  • April 11, 2025

    Microsoft, OpenAI Want Out Of Musk's For-Profit Challenge

    OpenAI and Microsoft are ready to be done with a lawsuit brought by Elon Musk accusing them of swindling the billionaire by turning OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, into a private entity after he and others invested in the artificial intelligence venture.

  • April 11, 2025

    Gym 'Grip' Developer Targets Rival In Patent Suit In Georgia

    A Massachusetts company that sells "grip enhancement" gel to athletes has filed a lawsuit accusing a Georgia rival of patent infringement.

  • April 11, 2025

    ITC Judge Cites Fed. Circ. In Patent Win For Cooler Master

    A U.S. International Trade Commission judge has ruled that three companies violated trade law by importing computer cooling mechanisms that infringe Cooler Master Co. Ltd. patents, citing a recent Federal Circuit ruling to find that the Taiwan-based patent owner has a U.S. domestic industry.

  • April 11, 2025

    Foreign Cos. Say Anti-Choking Device Patent Is Invalid

    Two companies from China and one from Malaysia filed a lawsuit Friday in Texas federal court seeking an order that an anti-choking device patent is invalid, after the patent's owner allegedly told Amazon the foreign businesses' product listings on the website infringed his patent.

  • April 11, 2025

    Tariff Reprieve Offers Little Comfort For Venture-Backed IPOs

    President Donald Trump's move to pause most tariff threats is not reassuring venture-backed startups eyeing public listings, many of which will likely postpone initial public offerings for at least another quarter or until shaky market conditions stabilize, a new report concludes.

Expert Analysis

  • Preparing For The New Restrictions On Investment Into China

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    In light of a new regulatory program governing U.S. investments in China-related technology companies of national security concern, investors should keep several considerations in mind, including the rules' effect on existing and new investments, compliance hurdles, and penalties for noncompliance ahead of the rules' January implementation, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Netflix Dispute May Alter 'Source' In TM Fair-Use Analysis

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    ​The Ninth Circuit’s upcoming decision in Hara v. Netflix​, about what it means to be source-identifying​, could change how the Rogers defense protects expressive works that utilize trademarks in a creative fashion, says Sara Gold at Gold IP.

  • What Bisphenol S Prop 65 Listing Will Mean For Industry

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    The imminent addition of bisphenol S — a chemical used in millions of products — to California's Proposition 65 list will have sweeping compliance and litigation implications for companies in the retail, food and beverage, paper, manufacturing and personal care product industries, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Tracking The Uncertainty Of The FTC's Negative Option Rule

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    The fate of the Federal Trade Commission's final rule requiring businesses that utilize negative options to provide consumers with a simple cancellation method remains in limbo as it faces multiple legal challenges and the threat of possible congressional action looms, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Antitrust in Retail: Handbag Ruling Won't Go Out Of Fashion

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    Although a New York federal court’s recent decision to enjoin a proposed $8.5 billion merger between the owners of Michael Kors and Coach applied noncontroversial antitrust interpretations, several notable aspects of the opinion stand out as likely candidates for further discussion in future merger litigation, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • What New Calif. Law Means For Cannabis Lounges

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    With a recently enacted California law authorizing licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses to prepare and sell noncannabis food and beverages, the door opens for a more sustainable business model — but challenges related to costs and liability remain, says Tracy Gallegos at Duane Morris.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • A Legal Perspective On NYC's Retail Real Estate Evolution

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    As New York City's retail market begins to show signs of resilience after the challenges of recent years, landlords must be cognizant of legal implications from shifting trends toward shorter-term leases and pop-up stores, says Andrea Gendel at Pryor Cashman.

  • The Fashion Industry Should Prep Now For State PFAS Bans

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    New York and California have each passed legislation regulating PFAS in apparel and other textiles, so retailers should consult with manufacturers and suppliers and obtain the requisite certification documents as soon as possible to avoid disruptions in supply chains, say attorneys at Venable.

  • How Boards And Officers Should Prep For New Trump Admin

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    In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs and mass deportation campaign, company officers and board members should pursue proactive, comprehensive contingency planning to not only advance the best interests of the companies they serve, but to also properly exercise their fiduciary duty of care, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Implementing Human Rights Due Diligence

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    The Bureau of Industry and Security’s recent removal of a Canadian surveillance provider from its export blacklist, after just eight months, illustrates the importance of integrating human rights due diligence into the vetting process by asking a few targeted questions, say attorneys at Cravath.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

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