Legal

The Harris Tweed Authority (HTA) has settled a dispute with Crate and Barrel over its labeling of a design of chairs. Euromarket Designs Inc. offered for sale a Harris Tweed Chair and Harris Herringbone Chair on its Crate and Barrel website. The products however weren't made from Harris Tweed, a fabric hand-woven on the Western Isles and protected by U.K. law. The HTA said it has secured a "monetary settlement" and assurances the items wouldn't be marketed as Harris Tweed.

Home Depot has been hit with a class-action lawsuit stemming from a suspected data breach at the home improvement retailer. While one legal expert portrays the lawsuit as premature because the investigation is still under way, another says the filing was made because it's highly likely the breach will be confirmed. The lawsuit, filed Sept. 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, alleges that the retailer failed to meet its legal obligation to protect customers’ credit card and personal information. It also accuses Home Depot of not notifying its customers about the alleged breach.

As lawmakers return to Washington for the fall congressional session, eBay is warning that members of the Senate could renew the push to enact legislation authorizing the collection of sales taxes on online purchases. The e-commerce heavyweight, one of the most vocal opponents of the sales tax proposal, is cautioning online sellers that supporters of the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) are attempting to roll that bill into another, less controversial measure to extend the ban on taxing internet access. The Senate passed the MFA as a standalone bill last May, but the House hasn't taken up the measure.

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA ended a longstanding dispute with Google, agreeing to work with the world's largest search engine to help prevent vendors from advertising counterfeit goods online. LVMH had accused Google of violating its trademark rights by selling protected words as keywords that then link users to websites selling counterfeit items when they search under the French company's brands. Google in 2010 allowed the practice, following a European Union court ruling, bringing the company's policy in Europe in line with company rules in about 190 countries. 

A U.S. judge on Tuesday approved a settlement between federal antitrust authorities and eBay over allegations that eBay agreed to refrain from soliciting a rival company's employees. Under the deal, announced earlier this year, eBay said it wouldn't make deals with other technology companies about poaching each others' employees. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila approved eBay's agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in a brief order. Hiring in Silicon Valley has been increasingly scrutinized. Six companies, including Apple and Google, settled with federal authorities in 2010 over nonsolicitation deals, without paying money. 

An eBay seller filed a class-action lawsuit against eBay and PayPal for, among other things, breach of contract and unfair business practices, alleging that eBay has created a "buyer always wins" policy to the detriment of sellers, and touching upon several eBay and PayPal practices that are commonly criticized by sellers. The lawsuit alleges eBay fails to refund 100 percent of sellers’ fees when a transaction isn't completed, and alleges that PayPal deprives sellers access to their money by placing 21-day holds and reserves on sellers’ funds.

After an 18-month investigation, Macy's has agreed to pay a $650,000 fine and hire an independent monitor to address complaints that minority shoppers faced heightened surveillance and, in some cases, wrongful detention at its flagship store in Midtown Manhattan. The investigation, conducted by the state attorney general's office, reviewed the internal "loss prevention" procedures employed by Macy's at its Herald Square store as well as allegations that black and Hispanic shoppers were unfairly targeted by security officials. The inquiry found that Macy's "detained African-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities for allegedly shoplifting at significantly higher rates relative to whites."

The National Retail Federation (NRF) on Monday told the U.S. Supreme Court that the debate over debit card swipe fees is "of staggering importance" and asked the justices to review a ruling that left the Federal Reserve's cap on the billions of transactions conducted each year at 21 cents rather than reducing it to a lower level. "There's so much at stake here for U.S. retailers and their customers that we have no choice but to pursue this case as far as possible," NRF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mallory Duncan said.

Last fall, a young black man was arrested after buying an expensive Ferragamo belt at Barneys New York. The man, Trayon Christian, had saved up from his part-time job to buy the accessory. Even though Christian had proof of purchase and I.D., police (who had reportedly been called by the Barneys cashier) took him to a local precinct and held him. After the case made national headlines, another shopper came forward with similar allegations. The cases of both of the shoppers have now been settled, and Barneys has been found at fault for racially profiling shoppers.

Target has for the first time come out publicly in support of gay marriage, as a growing number of high-profile businesses take positions on the divisive issue. In revealing Tuesday that it had signed a court brief backing marriage equality in a ­pending court case, Target joins other blue-chip names such as Starbucks, Apple and Intel that have sided publicly with same-sex marriage advocates in court cases or ballot issues. "It is our belief that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and that includes rights we