Legal

SEC Probe of American Apparel Ends Without Enforcement Action
January 12, 2012

American Apparel said an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into its financial reporting practices had ended without enforcement action. The investigation was sparked in 2010 when Deloitte & Touche resigned as American Apparel's accountant and warned the retailer that its previous audit reports and 2009 financial statements may not be reliable.

Class-Action Lawsuit Targets eBay Over Proxy Bidding
January 11, 2012

An Arizona man is suing eBay over the auction giant's automatic bidding system, claiming that the policy runs counter to the company's user agreement and that it unfairly undercuts the final price paid by the winning bidder.

ICANN Will Open the Doors for New Domain Names Tomorrow
January 11, 2012

Plenty of brands, lawmakers and regulators aren't happy that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is going right ahead — despite 11th hour hearings — and opening the doors on Jan. 12 for a possible barrage of applications for new generic top-level domain names.

Judge Gives eBay Sellers Chance to Amend PayPal Antitrust Complaint
January 10, 2012

eBay sellers who filed a class-action antitrust lawsuit against the company last year have until Jan. 27 to file a second amended complaint, a judge ruled. eBay had filed a motion to dismiss, which the judge granted in part and denied in part. According to the lawsuit allegations, "While eBay lists purported alternative payment methods, eBay has through its intentional action made it so PayPal is the only viable option for sellers."

Amazon Agrees to Begin Collecting Sales Tax in Indiana Starting in 2014
January 10, 2012

Amazon.com soon will no longer be able to avoid collecting sales tax in Indiana, which means you also won't be able to bypass paying the tax on your online purchases. Gov. Mitch Daniels said that the Seattle-based retailer has agreed to begin collecting tax in 2014, adding an estimated $20.million to $25.million to the state's coffers each year. Indiana sales tax is 7 percent.

Former CompUSA Executives Stole Millions
January 10, 2012

The Fiorentino brothers were aggressive entrepreneurs who grew a small direct mail catalog company into what is now CompUSA, a national electronics chain. Then greed got in the way. Nearly nine months after Gilbert, Carl and Patrick Fiorentino were physically escorted out of the Miami headquarters of the company they started in 1987, the first official account of their transgressions has emerged in a lawsuit that was filed by CompUSA's parent company in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.

Apple Threatens to Sue Over Steve Jobs Doll
January 6, 2012

Apple is threatening a Chinese firm with legal action if it doesn't discontinue its sale of a Steve Jobs doll. Manufactured by In Icons, the 12-inch action figure bears an uncanny likeness to the late Apple genius who passed away last year. The doll comes complete with Jobs’ trademark blue jeans, trainers and black turtleneck jumper.

British Retailers Prepare for Tobacco Display Ban
January 5, 2012

The countdown until the British government's ban on displaying tobacco products in large retail stores comes into effect is now underway. New legislation announced last March ruled that large stores over 3,000 square feet will have to hide cigarettes and other tobacco products under the counter or in closed cabinets, with the aim of changing attitudes to smoking and reducing promotion of these products.

Mom Sues Toys"R"Us Over Faulty Wagon
December 30, 2011

Buying toys for kids is great. You know what's not? Putting them together. Which is exactly why Alisa Speller paid Toys"R"Us an extra $15 on top of the $128 she already spent to put together the Radio Flyer Pathfinder Wagon she bought for her 1-year-old daughter, Skyla Price. Thing is, though, when Alisa took Skyla out for a spin in the Bronx, a wheel popped off.