Legal

Kim Kardashian filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles against Old Navy for employing a model who looks more or less exactly like her in ads her lawyers claim “evoke [her] identity and persona.” The amorphously famous reality star “is known for her look and style,” her lawyer said in a statement. “When her intellectual property rights are violated, she intends to enforce them.”

The Justice Department says 14 people have been arrested for allegedly mounting a cyberattack on the website of PayPal in retaliation for suspending the accounts of WikiLeaks.

If Borders closes all its stores, competing bookstores like Barnes & Noble will probably suffer through some short-term pain. Marketplace's Jeff Tyler takes a look at the repercussions.

Costco Wholesale hasn't given up on the idea of selling liquor in Washington. Having lost last year at the polls, the country's third-largest retailer is back with another initiative for voters to consider. Initiative 1183, which is likely to be on the ballot this fall, resembles last year's effort in that it would push the state out of the liquor business, forcing it to auction off its stores and distribution center.

Borders decided to liquidate its remaining 399 stores, conceding a battle with competitors, technology and itself. A bid by Najafi Cos. fell apart last week and with no other takers, Borders had no choice, said Paul Magy, an attorney who represents 28 landlords with Borders stores.

Borders is getting closer to going out of business. The bookseller received no additional bids after a Sunday deadline passed, The Wall Street Journal reported today. Borders was in talks with a Birmingham, Ala., bookstore chain called Books-A-Million, but there were no details about the negotiations.

Plastic shopping bags could be banned at Portland, Oregon’s larger grocery stores and other retailers as soon as Oct. 15. Mayor Sam Adams proposed an ordinance that's expected to easily win City Council approval.

Bankrupt Borders is on the brink of liquidation after the collapse of a deal with the Najafi investment firm aimed at saving the retailer. Earlier this month Borders designated Najafi as the opening bidder in a looming bankruptcy court action, but according to published reports, the deal fell through because of objections by publishers and landlords.

Groupon’s practice of selling group-discount coupons with expiration dates is being reviewed by Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen for possible state law violations. Groupon's coupons may fall under the definition of gift certificates under Connecticut law, which prohibits gift certificates from being subjected to expiration dates.

An arbitrator in Oakland, Calif. ruled in favor of a former American Apparel employee who alleged that his supervisor, Sean Alonzo, repeatedly called him racial slurs during a July 2007 business trip to renovate American Apparel stores in Tennessee. According to testimony, the company avoided disciplining Alonso until it was threatened with litigation in October. At that point, it gave him a written warning, followed by a pay raise two days later.