Legal

De Minimis: From Benefit to Loophole
February 12, 2025 at 11:37 am

The word loophole often conjures a slightly negative image of closed-door lobbying efforts and provisions slipped into law a few years ago to favor a special interest. This is far from the case when it comes to de minimis, at least until recently. The de minimis law promotes trade and lowers barriers to global commerceโ€ฆ

Quiksilver, Billabong and Volcom US Stores to Close After Liberated Brands Files for Bankruptcy
February 10, 2025 at 12:31 pm

Liberated Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection over the weekend and is looking to shutter its U.S. retail stores where it sold brands like Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom. The company said in a Monday press release that it filed for bankruptcy to "implement an orderly monetization and disposition of its businesses." It submitted aโ€ฆ

Show Me the Money: A New Wave of Pricing Transparency Laws
February 10, 2025 at 11:09 am

Every for-profit business faces the challenge of setting competitive prices while also generating a profit. An increasingly common solution to this conundrum has been to advertise one price and later disclose additional charges โ€” e.g., hotelsโ€™ resort fees, e-ticketing platformsโ€™ โ€œhandlingโ€ fees or even surcharges assessed against customers paying with a credit card. The consumerโ€ฆ

China Retaliates With Tariffs on US Imports
February 5, 2025 at 8:18 pm

China announced it was levying tariffs on select imported U.S. goods Tuesday in response to President Donald Trump's imposed 10 percent tariffs on China, which went into effect Tuesday. The Associated Press reported that China would implement a 15 percent tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) products as well as a 10 percentโ€ฆ

Tariffs on Imported Goods From Canada, China Go Into Effect; Mexico Paused
February 3, 2025 at 3:56 pm

President Trump on Saturday signed an executive order that imposes 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada, while adding an additional 10 percent levy on goods from China. Canada responded hours later with retaliatory tariffs of its own. China's commerce secretary said that country would challenge the tariffs through the World Trade Organization, according toโ€ฆ

Retailers Beware: The FTC Fines GOAT for Overpromising and Underdelivering
January 29, 2025 at 11:23 am

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced a penalty against online sneaker retailer GOAT for failing to honor its โ€œInstantโ€ and โ€œNext Dayโ€ shipping guarantees. According to the FTCโ€™s complaint, GOAT also violated its โ€œAssurance of Authenticityโ€ and โ€œBuyer Protectionโ€ promises, rejecting or only partially crediting customers for defective products. The FTCโ€™s case was built around two keyโ€ฆ

Costco's Union Workers Authorize Nationwide Strike
January 21, 2025 at 6:14 pm

A union representing thousands of Costco employees voted to authorize a strike, paving the way for a work stoppage if the labor group and retailer do not reach an agreement, reports CNBC. Costco Teamsters, the union with 18,000 employees for the retailer nationwide, said 85 percent of members voted to approve the action. The currentโ€ฆ

Craft Retailer Joann Files for Bankruptcy for Second Time in a Year
January 15, 2025 at 5:22 pm

Craft retailer Joann Inc filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware on Wednesday, saying that inventory shortages had forced it to back into bankruptcy for the second time in less than a year. Joann said it intends to seek a buyer for its business, which has the "potential" to survive under the right ownership. Ifโ€ฆ

Building a Retail-Friendly City: The Role of Streamlined Tax Payment Processes for Retailers
January 6, 2025 at 5:49 pm

Retailers of all sizes, whether small boutique shops or national chains, face numerous challenges when it comes to fulfilling their tax obligations to local governments. While much attention is often given to the financial burden of taxes themselves, the administrative processes involved in paying these taxes can be equally daunting and time consuming for retailers.โ€ฆ

Assessing Legal Challenges for E-Commerce Retailers in 2025
January 6, 2025 at 10:00 am

As a lawyer and entrepreneur, Iโ€™m fascinated by the legal and business landscape for e-commerce retailers. Amid the opportunities technology continues to open for the industry, legal challenges abound, especially around privacy laws, the lawsuits they spawn, and how retailers can best avoid or prepare for them. The first thing to know is that anyโ€ฆ