Legal

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.

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.

eBizcuss, the largest Apple reseller in France, has sued Apple alleging that the company competes unfairly by favoring its own retail stores with new product inventory and by undercutting proposals to small businesses.

A small shop owner is standing up against Amazon.com and its recent promotion urging customers shopping in brick-and-mortar stores to use its price check app. By scanning a barcode in the store, Amazon would give the customer a 5 percent discount, up to five dollars.

A Milwakee court has ruled in favor of Harley-Davidson in protecting the brand from the manufacture and sale of unauthorized merchandise through unauthorized distribution channels.

French luxury brand Louis Vuitton has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. over the use of a Louis Vuitton knockoff bag in "The Hangover: Part II." According to the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Thursday, an airport scene in the film makes use of a counterfeit bag made by a company named Diophy, which is currently being sued by Louis Vuitton for trademark infringement.

An economic recovery that stubbornly refused to gain traction made 2011 a virtual repeat of 2010 when it came to the number of retail bankruptcies: 18 chains filed for Chapter 11 protection or its equivalent this year, compared to 19 in 2010.

Reebok got itself into a heap of trouble with the Federal Trade Commission when it put out an ad campaign that claimed the design of its EasyTone and RunTone shoes help give anyone who wears them better muscle tone than anyone who wears other shoes.

Patent licensing company Round Rock Research has filed suit in Delaware Federal District Court against nine retailers: PepsiCo, J.C. Penney, Hanesbrands, The Gap, Fruit of the Loom, Dole Food Company, American Apparel, Macy's and V.F. Corporation (the owner of Wrangler, Lee, and Nautica and other brands). The defendants allegedly infringed five patents held by Round Rock relating to radio frequency identification technology (RFID), which is used to track merchandise.

Several brands sold and endorsed by the Kardashian family, including the upscale K-Dash by Kardashian, QVC's Kris Jenner Kollection and ShoeDazzle, are made in areas of China where government regulations are often ignored and workers are subject to inhumane conditions.