Macy’s Trial Over Martha Stewart Rights Set for February

Macy's bid to prevent Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. from executing a sales agreement with J.C. Penney is set to go to trial Feb. 19. The case won't be tried before a jury and there will be no need to decide damages, Judge Jeffrey K. Oing said yesterday in New York state court in Manhattan. Any potential damages in the dispute "are going to pale in comparison to the injunction," Oing said during a hearing. "That's the real big bucks there — if I stop this deal." Macy's, the second-biggest U.S. department-store chain, claims it has an exclusive right to sell Martha Stewart Living products in certain categories.