Legal

As the economy continues to shift to more sales being transacted remotely, state tax authorities have been put in a bind. Since sellers have no obligation to collect taxes on sales in states where they have no physical presence, governments are looking for ways to recover lost tax revenue on online sales. There's a real…

The patent for Amazon.com's one-click payment technology is expiring this year, meaning other online stores may adopt similar payment methods. Amazon first applied for the patent in 1997, and was granted it in 1999. Over the years, the online retailer has defended its exclusivity in court. For example, Apple paid Amazon an undisclosed amount to develop…

Nasty Gal has received a $20 million bid from British online retailer Boohoo.com for its intellectual property The Los Angeles Times reported. The L.A. retailer filed for bankruptcy protection in November and is planning to hold an auction of its assets in February. At the time of its filing, Nasty Gal estimated both its assets…

Last week, U.S. District Court Judge James Robart ordered Amazon.com to turn over the names of everyone who purchased specific WEN hair products. WEN hair products are at the center of a class-action lawsuit alleging their use leads to different adverse effects, like hair loss. The judge ordered the disclosures so that lawyers in the…

L.A.-based fashion retailer American Apparel has closed all but one of its U.K. stores. The store closings resulted in a loss of 150 jobs, and this is just the beginning of global store closings for the company. In November, Canadian t-shirt maker Gildan Activewear bought the worldwide rights to the American Apparel brand, but does…

Whole Foods Market is being sued by one former and one current employee of a Washington, D.C. store, alleging that the company cheated them out of bonuses. Last week, Whole Foods said that nine managers at stores in Maryland, Virginia and the District were fired for gaming the chain’s “gainsharing” program, which awards bonuses to employees…

2016 isn't in the books yet, but we already have what looks to be the first retail bankruptcy of 2017 lined up. The Limited is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the coming weeks, according to Bloomberg News. The 240-store women’s apparel chain has been struggling with declining traffic at malls and…

The U.S. Trade Representatives' annual list of global marketplaces known for counterfeit and pirated goods was released this week, and Alibaba Holdings Ltd. is back on it. The list specifically mentions Alibaba's flea market-like Taobao shopping platform, which had not made the list in years, citing rights holders’ complaints regarding obstacles to removing counterfeit items…

Ikea has agreed to pay a $50 million settlement to the families of three children killed by the company’s dressers tipping over and crushing them. The settlement will be split evenly between the three families living in Pennsylvania, Washington and Minnesota. In addition to the settlement, Ikea will be donating $50,000 to three children’s hospitals…

The Republican House Ways and Means Committee’s “A Better Way” tax reform proposal can affect retailers in a big way. The plan, proposed in June, is complex, but CNBC breaks it down into three major pieces. First, the law would institute a 20 percent corporate tax — decreasing it from the current 35 percent. Second, it…