Retail & E-Commerce

  • August 05, 2024

    NC Cigarette Co. Challenges $11M In Denied Drawback Claims

    A North Carolina-based cigarette distributor is challenging a decision by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in which its request for more than $11 million in drawback duties on cigarette imports was denied, saying the refund claims were timely filed.

  • August 05, 2024

    Ohio To Launch Legal Recreational Marijuana Sales

    Ohio is set to see its first legal recreational marijuana sales on Tuesday after the state's cannabis regulator announced that close to 100 locations were about to be qualified to sell products to customers 21 and over.

  • August 05, 2024

    Poultry Co. Fights Bid For $217K In Legal Costs For Subpoena

    A poultry rendering company suing Tyson Foods for allegedly deploying anticompetitive tactics in order to force a dramatically undervalued buyout is fighting a bid from Darling Ingredients, a nonparty in the suit, to recoup the money spent fighting a subpoena.

  • August 05, 2024

    Mattel Beats $46M Contract Suit Over Reality Show Idea

    A California jury has entered a verdict for Mattel Inc. in a $46 million contract suit brought against it by the company of "Lone Survivor" producer Norton Herrick alleging that the toy-maker stole its idea for a reality show in which inventors pitch toys to child judges, concluding there was no contract breach.

  • August 05, 2024

    Google Abused Monopoly Over Search Market, Court Finds

    A D.C. federal judge ruled on Monday that Google is a monopolist in the general search market and has violated antitrust law by paying billions of dollars to make its search engine the default on devices made by Apple, Samsung and others.

  • August 02, 2024

    Judge Knocks Stuffing Out Of Build-A-Bear's Missouri IP Suit

    A Missouri federal judge on Friday tossed Build-A-Bear Workshop's lawsuit seeking a declaration that its new Skoosherz stuffed toy line doesn't infringe trade dress rights claimed by Kelly Toys' popular Squishmallows, finding that the Missouri court doesn't have jurisdiction over the IP dispute, which is also being litigated in California.

  • August 02, 2024

    CFPB Takes Fintech Flak Over Credit Card-Like BNPL Policy

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is facing fresh industry pushback to its guidance that aims to extend more credit card-like protections to the fintech-dominated market for buy-now, pay-later loans, with key providers arguing it is trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole.

  • August 02, 2024

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    In this inaugural edition of Wheeling & Appealing, Law360 recaps recent appellate opinions that made waves, quizzes readers about a new word for judicial grievances, and previews August arguments in circuit courts over controversial wage rules and a seven-figure attorney fee award after a digital age intellectual property trial.

  • August 02, 2024

    Shopify Fights Off Infringement Suit Over Retail Patents

    A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that the CEO of a failed digital media startup can't sue using patents he landed a few years ago to cover ideas he says Shopify took from him years earlier because the patents aren't inventive enough.

  • August 02, 2024

    Bed Bath & Beyond Accuses Gamestop CEO Of Insider Trading

    The bankrupt big-box housewares retailer once known as Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. sued GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen and his company RC Ventures LLC in New York federal court Thursday, seeking to recover $47 million that it says the defendants made from insider trading not long before the company went belly-up.

  • August 02, 2024

    5th Circ. Remands FDA's E-Cigarette Product Denials

    The Fifth Circuit has once again said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration acted unlawfully when the agency denied a number of requests from e-cigarette manufacturers seeking permission to sell their flavored vapes.

  • August 02, 2024

    Microphone Co. Eyes Sanctions After Scoring Win In IP Row

    A maker of microphone isolation products that won a trade dress infringement lawsuit at trial has asked a California federal court to order a rival and its counsel to pay its attorney fees because of a "repeated pattern of vexatious litigation in the face of overwhelming and contrary law."

  • August 02, 2024

    Judge OKs Conn. Furniture Company's $615K Stock Suit Deal

    A Connecticut federal judge has given a preliminary nod to a $615,000 settlement between The Lovesac Co., a Connecticut-based furniture maker, and a group of investors angry over financial moves that they say caused the company's stock to slip.

  • August 02, 2024

    Bike Co. Says It's Lost 'Millions' From Royalty Deal Breaches

    A Colorado bicycle company has sued machinery manufacturer Gates Corp. in Denver District Court for allegedly breaking promises under a joint licensing and distribution deal, claiming Gates may be trying to dodge millions of dollars in royalty payments by encouraging rival bicycle makers to use the Colorado company's invention for free.

  • August 02, 2024

    Investors Say Water Vending Co. Ran $100M Ponzi Scheme

    A group of investors alleges that a Washington water-vending machine company bilked them out of more than $100 million in a Ponzi scheme by promising double-digit returns from a growing franchisee network serving Family Dollar stores and other locations.

  • August 02, 2024

    Ill. Gov. Pritzker Signs BIPA Reform Into Law

    Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed biometric privacy reform legislation into law on Friday, significantly reducing companies' potential liability for collecting or sharing individuals' fingerprint and other biometric data without informed consent.

  • August 02, 2024

    FDA Warns Online Retailers Against Youth-Appealing Vapes

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned five more online retailers that they are illegally selling vape brands such as Geek Bar, Lost Mary and Bang, according to an announcement that said it called them a "particular concern" because of their popularity to young people.

  • August 02, 2024

    Conn. AG Probes Solar Site's 'False' Social Media Ads

    A company running social media ads that claim the government will "cover the cost" of installing solar products is deceiving Connecticut residents and leaving them with a false sense of urgency to claim a benefit that doesn't exist, the state attorney general's office said Friday in announcing an investigation.

  • August 02, 2024

    DOJ Says Apple 'Has No Basis' To Delay Discovery

    The U.S. Department of Justice is urging a New York federal judge to get the ball rolling on discovery in its case accusing Apple of anticompetitively restricting app access to lock users into the iPhone.

  • August 02, 2024

    Commerce Rejects Vietnam's Bid For Market Economy Status

    The U.S. Department of Commerce said Friday that it has rejected Vietnam's request to lift its status as a non-market economy, which would have altered how antidumping duties are calculated on Vietnamese exports.

  • August 02, 2024

    Five Below Hit With Investor Suit Over Growth Potential

    Discount retail chain Five Below has been sued by investors claiming its executives misled investors about the growth potential of its stores, causing stock prices to tumble.

  • August 02, 2024

    Dollar Tree To Pay $190K Over Heavy Metals In Kids Products

    The Washington state attorney general has announced that Greenbrier International Inc., importer and purchaser for sister company Dollar Tree Stores Inc., has agreed to pay $190,000 and bolster its testing to resolve a probe that the attorney general said found heavy metals in children's school supplies.

  • August 02, 2024

    Judge Snuffs Out Collectibles Exec's Bid For New Fraud Trial

    A New York federal judge has spurned the efforts of a collectibles entrepreneur convicted of fraud to get a new trial, saying notes the defendant believes would have swayed the outcome are not as important as he thinks and probably inadmissible.

  • August 02, 2024

    Sephora Ex-Manager's Retaliation Suit Lacks Proof, Court Told

    Sephora urged a Georgia federal judge Friday to toss a Latina manager's retaliation claims that she was fired for refusing to engage in an allegedly discriminatory hiring scheme that would have prioritized white applicants, arguing her suit lacks proof the company knew about her concerns.

  • August 02, 2024

    3 Candidates In Running To Replace Washington AG

    Washington voters on Tuesday will narrow the candidates aspiring to become the state's next attorney general, choosing from among a former U.S. attorney, a state lawmaker who was a county prosecutor, as well as a mayor and attorney who is a gun rights advocate.

Expert Analysis

  • Directors And Officers Face Unique AI-Related Risks

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    As privacy, intellectual property and discrimination lawsuits focusing on artificial intelligence increase, corporate directors and officers must stay aware of associated risks, including those related to compliance, litigation and cybersecurity, says Jonathan Meer at Wilson Elser.

  • Series

    Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • New Strain Of Web Tracking Suits Pose Risks For Retailers

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    Amid an ongoing surge of California state and federal lawsuits that are using novel theories to allege companies used certain recording technologies to illegally track website users, retailers should take steps to develop a potential argument that customers consented to any alleged uses of these devices, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • Ex-OpenSea Staffer Case May Clarify When Info Is Property

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    In considering the appeal of a former OpenSea manager’s wire fraud conviction in U.S. v. Chastain, the Second Circuit may soon provide guidance about whether economic information is traditional property in certain insider trading prosecutions — a theory of fraud that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Unraveling The Bundled Benefits Of Retail Memberships

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    The recent prevalence of paid retail memberships and the associated findings of a consumer survey suggest that assessing consumer preferences and welfare may be important when considering resolution mechanisms in antitrust contexts, say Rosa M. Abrantes-Metz at Berkeley Research Group, Mame Maloney at The Brattle Group and Jeff Brazell at the University of Utah.

  • Opinion

    Stakeholder Amici Should Be Heard In Russian Trade Case

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    Although the U.S. Court of International Trade recently rejected U.S. Steel's amicus brief in NLMK Pennsylvania v. U.S., other industry stakeholders should seek to appear — and the court should allow it because additional perspectives will lead to a more informed ruling, say attorneys Jeffrey Shapiro and Michael Andrews.

  • Workplace Speech Policies Limit Legal And PR Risks

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    As workers increasingly speak out on controversies like the 2024 elections and the Israel-Hamas war, companies should implement practical workplace expression policies and plans to protect their brands and mitigate the risk of violating federal and state anti-discrimination and free speech laws, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • US Cos. Must Guard Against Russian Diversion Of Goods

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    Amid allegations that Russia is end-running trade sanctions through the diversion of otherwise innocuous, everyday goods, U.S. industry involved in the manufacture or distribution of electric products must step up its customer and partner due diligence to avoid unwittingly facilitating the weapons proliferation cycle, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Staying Ahead Of The AI Policymaking Curve

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    With artificial intelligence poised to be the hottest legislative and regulatory topic in 2024, expect the AI policymaking toolbox to continue to expand and evolve as stakeholders in the U.S. and abroad develop, deploy, use and learn more about these technologies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • 10 Years Of Retail Battles: Unpacking Pricing Litigation Trends

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    A close look at a decade of pricing class actions against retailers reveals evolving trends, plaintiffs bar strategies, and the effects of significant court decisions across states, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success

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    Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.

  • What Cos. Can Learn From 2023 Export Enforcement Report

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    A January report summarizing key actions and policy changes undertaken at the Office of Export Enforcement in 2023 is a valuable indicator of future government priorities and the factors companies should consider as they conduct export operations amid what may be a turbulent international trading environment in 2024, says Thaddeus McBride at Bass Berry.

  • How Consumer Product Cos. Can Keep Up With Class Actions

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    Recent cases show California's federal courts and the Ninth Circuit remain the preferred arena for consumers pursuing false advertising and trade deception claims against companies — so manufacturers, distributors and retailers of consumer products should continue to watch these courts for guidance on how to fight class actions, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Competing In Triathlons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While practicing law and competing in long-distance triathlons can make work and life feel unbalanced at times, participating in the sport has revealed important lessons about versatility, self-care and perseverance that apply to the office as much as they do the racecourse, says Laura Heusel at Butler Snow.

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