Retail & E-Commerce

  • March 26, 2024

    Alibaba Offers $3.75B Logistics Biz Takeover Instead Of IPO

    Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. on Tuesday went back on its plans to spin off Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Ltd. through an initial public offering and instead announced plans to buy the remaining stake in the business that it does not already own for up to $3.75 billion.

  • March 26, 2024

    Sony Ducks $500M PlayStation Patent Suit In Del.

    A Delaware federal court has sided with Sony in a $500 million patent infringement suit brought by Genuine Enabling Technology LLC over PlayStation consoles, marking a close to the case.

  • March 26, 2024

    Visa, Mastercard Cut Deal In Long-Running Swipe Fee Dispute

    Visa and Mastercard reached a settlement Tuesday that merchants in a long-running antitrust case say will reduce fees by $30 billion over the next several years, while eliminating restrictions on steering customers to cheaper payment options.

  • March 26, 2024

    FCC Partners With Agencies On Privacy Enforcement

    The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday it will ramp up enforcement with other federal and state agencies to protect sensitive data from hackers and foreign adversaries.

  • March 26, 2024

    Ill. Judge Needs More Info To OK $57M Chicken Antitrust Fee

    An Illinois federal judge overseeing a sprawling antitrust litigation against broiler chicken producers said he couldn't rule on class counsel's renewed bid for a $57 million attorney fee award thrown out by the Seventh Circuit last year without more information on one of the firm's graduated fee arrangements in a similar 2015 antitrust case, which wasn't disclosed in the first go-around.

  • March 26, 2024

    2nd Circ. Revives Gender Bias Case Against Grocery Chain

    A district court applied too harsh a standard when it dismissed a fired manager's sex bias suit against a supermarket chain, the Second Circuit said Tuesday, in a ruling that sought to "demystify" the test for assessing whether some discrimination claims can move to trial.

  • March 26, 2024

    Costco Parking Lot Fall Suit Doomed By 2-Inch Rule

    An Illinois federal court has thrown out a woman's trip-and-fall suit against Costco Wholesale Corp., saying the less than 2-inch difference in surface height is not enough of a defect that Costco had a duty to repair it.

  • March 26, 2024

    Carrefour Buying €365M Of Its Shares From Store Owner

    Hypermarkets giant Carrefour said on Tuesday that it will buy back almost 3.5% of its share capital from the owner of the Galeries Lafayette department store chain for €365 million ($396 million), part of its wider €700 million share repurchase program.

  • March 25, 2024

    Walmart Blocks DOJ Proceedings Over Immigration Records

    The federal government cannot continue pursuing proceedings before the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer against Walmart for alleged violations of immigration-related recordkeeping requirements, a Georgia federal judge ruled Monday, saying the office's administrative law judges unconstitutionally carry out federal law without presidential oversight.

  • March 25, 2024

    Merchants Hit AmEx With Antitrust Claims Over Its Fee Rules

    American Express faces a proposed merchant class action alleging it violated federal antitrust law by barring businesses from taking certain measures to keep their credit card swipe costs down.

  • March 25, 2024

    NJ Justices End Suit That Alleged Fake Aeropostale Discounts

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday dismissed consumers' claims that the owner of several Aeropostale stores in the Garden State deceived them with phony discounts, ruling that the shoppers received the merchandise they expected despite not receiving a true price cut.

  • March 25, 2024

    Atlanta Wants Ex-Eatery's 'Spurious' Demolition Suit Tossed

    The city of Atlanta has asked a Georgia federal judge to dismiss a property owner's suit accusing it, its property review board and its police department of trying to illegally demolish the property, once set to become a Starbucks coffee shop, without proper notification.

  • March 25, 2024

    Texas Co. Hit With COVID Products Ban, $37.6M Fine To FTC

    A federal judge has ordered a Houston-area man and his company to pay the FTC nearly $37.6 million, writing that he "took advantage of consumers' desperation" during the COVID-19 pandemic and "consistently misled" customers about his ability to deliver personal protective equipment. 

  • March 25, 2024

    Pool Co. Objects To Rival Counsel's Exit After $15M Verdict

    A swimming pool equipment supply company that won a $15 million verdict against a competitor in North Carolina federal court is now attempting to block the rival's counsel from leaving the case, saying the company may use the loss of its attorneys as justification for delaying final judgment.

  • March 25, 2024

    3rd Circ. Won't Rethink AbbVie Privilege Ruling

    The Third Circuit refused Monday to reconsider a ruling that found AbbVie was unable to show a lower court went against precedent or made errors when ordering the drugmaker to turn over attorney communications from a patent case allegedly meant to delay an AndroGel rival.

  • March 25, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week in Delaware's Court of Chancery, litigants battled as Truth Social went public, Carl Icahn and Tripadvisor hit a roadblock, and more shareholders wailed about "invasive" bylaws. Oil drilling and pharmaceutical mergers sparked new lawsuits, and a sewing machine trademark owner sued to end a contract.

  • March 25, 2024

    MNC Capital Ups Vista Outdoor Takeover Bid To $3B

    Dallas, Texas-based investment firm MNC Capital Partners on Monday upped its proposed takeover bid of Vista Outdoor Inc. by approximately $1 billion after the company rejected its initial offer, now offering roughly $3 billion to purchase the sporting and outdoor products company.

  • March 25, 2024

    7th Circ. Affirms Co. Can't Get $3.5M Software Deduction

    A healthcare company that helps nursing homes buy equipment is not entitled to $3.5 million in tax deductions meant for domestic software production, the Seventh Circuit ruled, saying the company failed to meet the threshold for the break because it didn't actually provide software to customers.

  • March 25, 2024

    Tech Giants Face 1st Probe Under EU Digital Markets Rules

    Alphabet, Apple and Meta are being investigated by the European Union over whether they comply with the Digital Markets Act, the first probes launched under regulations aimed at reining in the power of Big Tech, the bloc's executive arm said Monday.

  • March 22, 2024

    Edible Arrangements' Prior Deal Forecloses IP Row With Rival

    A Georgia federal judge ended Edible Arrangements' trademark suit accusing 1-800-Flowers.com of bidding on and buying keywords related to Edible's products for search engine advertisements, finding the parties' prior settlement releasing 1-800-Flowers from similar conduct challenged by Edible in Connecticut federal court years ago barred its current action.

  • March 22, 2024

    Cheerleading Giant Varsity Spirit Must Face Antitrust Suit

    A Texas federal court has refused to toss a suit accusing Varsity Spirit of working with competitive cheerleading governance bodies to boycott potential rivals and maintain its dominance over the sport.

  • March 22, 2024

    Google Can Arbitrate Collusion Claims While Apple Beats Suit

    For the second time, a California federal judge has forced into arbitration antitrust claims brought by a Golden State crane operator training school accusing Google of paying off Apple to not develop its own search engine while dismissing the rest of the claims against both tech behemoths.

  • March 22, 2024

    Inventor Urges High Court To Look At Fed. Circ. 1-Line Orders

    A businesswoman behind a small printing company is the latest litigant to head to the U.S. Supreme Court with complaints about the Federal Circuit's practice of issuing one-sentence Rule 36 orders.

  • March 22, 2024

    Lutron Cleared On Shade Trade Dress Claims

    A New York federal judge has thrown out trade dress claims that GeigTech brought against home lighting fixtures company Lutron, writing that "there is no evidence that Lutron wanted members of the consuming public to think that it was selling J. Geiger shades."

  • March 22, 2024

    Amazon, Apple Say Antitrust Attys Can't Ditch 'Fatal' Class Rep

    Amazon and Apple say plaintiffs' counsel in a proposed antitrust suit should be stuck with their class representative, who apparently ghosted his attorneys, arguing the lawyers should have to live with a plaintiff whose purchasing habits undercut the suit's very premise.

Expert Analysis

  • How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth

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    Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Series

    In A 'Barbie' World: Boosting IP Value With Publicity Machines

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    Mattel's history of intellectual property monitoring, including its recent challenge against Burberry over the "BRBY" trademark ahead of the "Barbie" film, shows how IP enforcement strategies can be used as publicity to increase brand value and inform potential collaborations, says Carly Duckett at Shepherd and Wedderburn.

  • Key Elements Of The Proposed Credit Card Competition Act

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    Attorneys at Troutman Pepper examine the most noteworthy provisions in the recently proposed Credit Card Competition Act, including changes to payment card network access, Federal Reserve Board review, who would qualify as a covered institution, and routing restrictions.

  • Circuit Rulings Confirm Ch. 11 Trustee Fee Refund Trend

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    Recent Ninth and Eleventh Circuit rulings that Chapter 11 debtors are entitled to refunds for unconstitutional bankruptcy trustee fees paid under the Bankruptcy Judgeship Act support a developing trend in debtors' favor, making it likely that courts considering the same question will follow suit, says Adam Herring at Nelson Mullins.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Australia

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    Clive Cachia and Cathy Ma at K&L Gates detail ESG-reporting policies in Australia and explain how the country is starting to introduce mandatory requirements as ESG performance is increasingly seen as a key investment and corporate differentiator in the fight for global capital.

  • Key Takeaways For Email Marketing From Experian Settlement

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent enforcement action against Experian is a good reminder for companies to assess email marketing practices for compliance with the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act, including misleading header information, deceptive subject lines and opt-out requirements, says Terese Arenth at Moritt Hock.

  • The NIL Legislation Race: CAEFA And Ted Cruz's Draft Bill

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    Christina Stylianou and Gregg Clifton at Lewis Brisbois compare legislation pertaining to the name, image and likeness rights of college student-athletes, including the College Athlete Economic Freedom Act and Sen. Ted Cruz's draft bill that would restrict an athlete's eligibility to compete if an NIL agreement violates their university's student code of conduct.

  • Opinion

    Address The Data Monopoly, Otherwise Tech Giants Control AI

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    It is likely that we will experience a severe monopoly on artificial intelligence systems and patents by the largest players in the tech industry, so the way we treat data needs to change, whether through the legislature, the courts or tech companies, says Pranav Katti at Barclay Damon.

  • In Ga., Promptness Is Key To Setting Aside Default Judgments

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    The Georgia Court of Appeals' recent vacating of a lower court's decision to set aside a default judgment against Samsung Electronics America is a reminder of the processes and arguments provided by Georgia's statutes for challenging default judgments — including the importance of responding quickly, says Katy Robertson at Swift Currie.

  • Brand Owners Beware: AI-Generated Ad Content Poses Risks

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    Since the Association of National Advertisers recently updated its master media buying services template agreement, brand owners should consider how their contracted agencies are using artificial intelligence to create and implement campaigns and media purchases, say Kyle-Beth Hilfer and John Miranda at Cowan Liebowitz.

  • Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

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    X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

  • Best Ad Practices For Digital Products Amid FTC Scrutiny

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently signaled an increased focus on content ownership claims related to digital products, especially those generated by artificial tools — so now is the time for companies to consider practical applications of decades-old consumer protection principles within today's digital context, says ​​​​​​​Ioana Gorecki at Kelley Drye.

  • Companies Must Dig Up Old Laws To Stay Privacy-Compliant

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    Despite the recent focus on new privacy and data security laws, companies cannot ignore existing rules that have recently been revived, amended or reinterpreted to address emerging privacy and data security challenges, says Julia Kadish at Sheppard Mullin.

  • ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act

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    While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Chatbot Lawsuits Push Calif. Courts To Rethink Wiretap Law

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    Recent rulings alleging that website owners illegally eavesdrop on chatbot conversations show that courts are struggling to define the scope of California's wiretap law, and that plaintiffs are learning about the level of detail needed to plead that a chatbot is a third-party eavesdropper, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

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