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Retail & E-Commerce

  • September 08, 2025

    FCC To Revoke Authorizations For Foreign-Owned 'Bad Labs'

    The Federal Communications Commission on Monday began revoking U.S. authorizations for seven communications equipment-testing labs it says are controlled by foreign adversaries.

  • September 08, 2025

    Conn. Nissan Dealer's Managers Settle Price Add-On Claims

    Two sales managers from a Nissan dealership have inked agreements with the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Connecticut over claims that the dealership broke the law by adding deceptive extras to vehicle sale prices.

  • September 08, 2025

    Home Depot Sued Over AI Self-Checkout Surveillance

    Home Depot was sued by a putative class of customers in Illinois federal court Friday claiming a "computer vision" surveillance system at its stores' self-checkout kiosks capture scans of their facial geometry without the disclosures and consent required under Illinois' biometric privacy law.

  • September 08, 2025

    Nintendo Inks $2M Deal In Switch Piracy Suit

    Nintendo has reached a settlement with a man it accused of selling modified Nintendo Switch consoles and methods of playing pirated games, with the defendant agreeing to pay $2 million and be permanently enjoined from further distributing unauthorized materials or devices used for digital piracy.

  • September 08, 2025

    9th Circ. Denies CoStar's Bid To Rehear Antitrust Ruling

    A Ninth Circuit panel rejected a call to revisit the court's June decision reviving claims alleging that real estate information service CoStar monopolizes several commercial real estate listing markets through exclusive deals with brokers and technological barriers for competitors.

  • September 08, 2025

    Atty Tells Disciplinary Panel $250K Demand Wasn't Blackmail

    A Pennsylvania attorney facing discipline for allegedly threatening to blackmail a client's debtor was rightfully trying to collect on a long-standing, highly litigated debt, a state disciplinary hearing panel heard Monday.

  • September 08, 2025

    5th Circ. Reinstates $2.4M Award In Hair Product Co.'s IP Suit

    The Fifth Circuit has restored a $2.4 million jury award to a hair product company in its trademark infringement trial win over a rival, ruling a district court judge was wrong to throw out the verdict and the company had shown evidence the infringement hurt its business.

  • September 08, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week at the Delaware Court of Chancery, a bankruptcy administrator for a generic drugmaker formerly known as Teligent was told he can proceed with duty of oversight claims against most former officers and directors of the company, who the administrator said was complicit in the company's collapse. In an opinion, the Court of Chancery cites its 1996 decision In re Caremark International Inc. Derivative Litigation, which refined director duties of care and oversight.

  • September 08, 2025

    3rd Circ. Shuts Down Drivers' 'Destination Charge' Suit

    The Third Circuit won't give drivers another shot at alleging that FCA US LLC unfairly inflated "destination charge" fees when they bought their vehicles, saying their proposed amended complaint still doesn't show how the carmaker violated 11 states' consumer protection laws.

  • September 05, 2025

    Stewart Tackles Markets, Injunctions In Newest PTAB Reviews

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart released 14 institution decisions in the last week, providing more insight on the scope of settled expectations and the impact of a district court preliminary injunction.

  • September 05, 2025

    OnlyFans Users May Face Sanctions Over AI 'Misuse'

    OnlyFans users who have alleged the site employs professional "chatters" to impersonate content creators are facing possible sanctions in their case, as a California federal judge ordered their attorneys to appear in court for filing briefs with nonexistent citations and quotations generated by an AI chatbot.

  • September 05, 2025

    Munchkin Says 'Unhinged' GC Was Fired For Good Reason

    Munchkin Inc. says it had multiple legitimate reasons to terminate the baby company's general counsel for cause after he launched a "retaliatory and vindictive campaign" against another executive, calling him "unhinged" and slamming his suit against the company as "harassing," according to a filing in California state court.

  • September 05, 2025

    Temu Hit With $2M Penalty In FTC's 1st INFORM Act Case

    The operator of Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve the Federal Trade Commission's inaugural enforcement action under the INFORM Consumers Act, which requires online marketplaces to provide customers with certain information and tools to combat counterfeit goods offered by high-volume third-party sellers. 

  • September 05, 2025

    Whoopi Goldberg Battles Ex-NJ Mayor Over Cannabis Store

    A former Garden State mayor is asking a New Jersey state judge to dismiss a counterclaim from Whoopi Goldberg's cannabis company, WhoopFam NJ LLC, in a dispute over a failed effort to open a recreational marijuana retail store.

  • September 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Sinks Inventor's Bid To Escape $214K In Sanctions

    The Federal Circuit on Friday denied efforts by the inventor of a patent covering a type of marking tape to escape a nearly $214,000 sanctions order from a lower court, saying it had previously upheld the award for bad faith litigation and won't alter it now.

  • September 05, 2025

    Merck Shakes Off Some Claims From Cholesterol Drugs Suit

    A New Jersey federal judge has partly granted a request from Merck & Co. to dismiss claims brought by Humana over an alleged anticompetitive scheme to control distribution of cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin, tossing several proposed theories of monopolization but allowing unjust enrichment claims and state law antitrust claims to survive.

  • September 05, 2025

    DOJ Defends Expert Who Says Agri Stats Helps Hike Prices

    The U.S. Department of Justice pushed back on Agri Stats' efforts to strike key testimony from an economist backing Minnesota federal court allegations that turkey, chicken and pork producers "use Agri Stats information to raise prices on customers," arguing the company made "fundamental mistakes" about the analysis.

  • September 05, 2025

    Collectible Companies Settle Fraudulent Steph Curry Card Suit

    A court fight between sports collectibles companies over a Stephen Curry rookie card allegedly sold at a fraudulently high price has been resolved, as the two sides jointly moved to dismiss the case Friday in Texas federal court after reaching a settlement last month.

  • September 05, 2025

    Court Denies Vape Interests' Bid To Halt Wisconsin E-Cig Law

    A Wisconsin federal judge on Friday rejected vaping interests' motion to halt enforcement of a new state law banning the sale of e-cigarettes not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, saying they were unlikely to succeed on claims the law was preempted.

  • September 04, 2025

    Geragos Strikes At $100K Verdict Over Nike Extortion Role

    Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos asked a California judge to strike a $100,000 jury verdict that found he aided and abetted disbarred lawyer Michael Avenatti in a failed attempt to extort Nike, saying award of damages without an underlying finding of liability "is impermissible as a matter of law."

  • September 04, 2025

    Mary Kay Co-Founder Sues Co. In Del. For Texas Legal Fees

    The co-founder and executive chairman of Mary Kay Holding Corp. has sued in Delaware's Court of Chancery for legal fee advancements related in part to a billion-dollar-plus father-son battle in a Texas court over control of family trusts supported by the decades-old cosmetics empire.

  • September 04, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms Dismissal Of Google-Apple Antitrust Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday affirmed a lower court's decision dismissing a lawsuit alleging an antitrust conspiracy between Apple and Google over search engine technology, agreeing with the lower court that a restaurant meeting between the companies' CEOs is not sufficient evidence to back up the claims. 

  • September 04, 2025

    10th Circ. Ends Huffing Death Product Liability Suit

    The Tenth Circuit refused to revive a Kansas man's proposed class action seeking damages against the makers of canned compressed air after his adult son fatally inhaled their product, saying the manufacturers can't be held liable because intentionally huffing the toxic gases in the product is against state law.

  • September 04, 2025

    Philip Morris Gets Wash. Tobacco Deal Fight Sent To Arbitrator

    A Washington state judge has ordered R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. to arbitrate rival Philip Morris USA Inc.'s claims that it breached a 2017 deal delineating billions of dollars in annual payments owed to states for Big Tobacco's public health toll by signing a new $277 million agreement with Washington in April.

  • September 04, 2025

    FTC Hits Chinese Toy Maker For Gathering Kids' Location Data

    A robot toy maker has agreed to comply with federal rules for handling children's data and ensure that its vendors are doing the same in order to resolve the Federal Trade Commission's claims that the company enabled a Chinese analytics provider to collect geolocation information from mobile app users who were younger than 13 without parental consent.

Expert Analysis

  • Prior Art Ruling Highlights Importance Of Detailed Elaboration

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent decision in Ecto World v. RAI Strategic Holdings shows that when there is a possibility for discretionary denial, and the examiner has potentially overlooked prior art, patent owners should elaborate on as many of the denial factors as possible, says Frank Bernstein at Squire Patton.

  • Compliance Refresher For 'Made In USA' Labeling Claims

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    As tariffs reshape the trade landscape, companies hoping to invoke the powerful consumer appeal of “Made in USA” labels must understand the strict rules for making acceptable claims so they avoid the costly legal ramifications and brand damage possible from misrepresenting products as 100% American, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

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    If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.

  • Appellate Guidance Needed On California Chatbot Litigation

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    There is wide variation in how courts are applying the California Invasion of Privacy Act against website owners that allegedly help third parties spy on visitors via chatbots — and the lack of appellate rulings creates uncertainty, especially as these cases move toward the summary judgment stage, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco Shows Why Attys Must Disclose AI Use

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    The recent revelation that a handful of questions from the controversial California bar exam administered in February were drafted using generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the continued importance of disclosure for attorneys who use AI tools, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Opinion

    Anti-Counterfeiting Efforts Must Hold China Accountable

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    As the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development drafts guidelines for combating counterfeit goods, U.S. representatives must be frank about the need to hold Chinese platforms accountable for their role in counterfeiting — and specific about the changes that will be required, says Eli Clemens at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

  • Securing IP Protection For AI Avatars

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    As artificial intelligence avatars play an ever-expanding role in sales, operations and entertainment, companies must plan for intellectual property protection for these brand assets as their control will turn on the nuances of their creation and use, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • In 2nd Place, Va. 'Rocket Docket' Remains Old Reliable

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    The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia was again one of the fastest civil trial courts in the nation last year, and an interview with the court’s newest judge provides insights into why it continues to soar, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • CIPA May Not Be Necessary To Protect Ad Tech Plaintiffs

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    A California bill designed to protect businesses from advertising technology claims under the California Invasion of Privacy Act by amending the act retroactively has been highly contested by various consumer advocacy groups, but other existing law may sufficiently protect any plaintiff who suffers actual harm from such tech, says Justin Donoho at Duane Morris.

  • Parsing A Lack Of Antitrust Info-Sharing Enforcement Clarity

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    Information sharing among competing firms has recently faced dramatic changes in antitrust agency guidance, while courts grapple with the permissible scope of pricing algorithms, leaving companies in limbo, but potential Trump administration changes could offer some reprieve, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity

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    As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Law School.

  • Public Cos. Must Heed Disclosure Risks Amid Trade Chaos

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    Ongoing uncertainties caused by President Donald Trump's shifting stances on tariffs and trade restrictions have exponentially escalated financial reporting pressures on public companies, so businesses must ensure that their operations and accounting practices align with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's standards, say Jennifer Lee at Jenner & Block and Edward Westerman at Secretariat Advisors.

  • Opinion

    9th Circ. Shopify Decision Gets Personal Jurisdiction Wrong

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent opinion in Briskin v. Shopify, rejecting the differential targeting requirement for personal jurisdiction, not only deviates from long-standing jurisprudence, but it also significantly expands the reach of internet-based claims under California law, says Matthew Pearson at Womble Bond.

  • Digital Equity Act Grant Terminations Raise Key Legal Issues

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    The Trump administration's move to cancel grant programs created under the Digital Equity Act yields key legal and policy questions facing the executive branch, Congress and the courts, including how the administration plans to implement the cancellation of the Digital Equity Act's appropriations in the first place, say attorneys at Akin.

  • Robinson-Patman Enforcement May Fizzle Out After PepsiCo

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    After securing an early Robinson-Patman Act victory against the largest wine and spirits distributor in the U.S., the Federal Trade commission's voluntary dismissal of its own enforcement action against PepsiCo throws into doubt the future of the federal statute that prohibits price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices, say attorneys at V&E.

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