All Legal & Institutional articles – Page 11
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News briefs
Bleyer files for insolvency
Bleyer, a German producer of sports shoes for special activities, has filed for temporary insolvency because of cash problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The company, which employs 21 people, and its web store will continue to operate like before, hoping that the current restrictions on sports and dance events ...
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News briefs
Alibaba settles with Chinese anti-trust authorities
The Alibaba Group has agreed to make it easier for merchants to do business with it, without preventing them from using other platforms, as part of a series of ”comprehensive rectifications” demanded by Chinese anti-trust regulators, which charged it of abusing its dominant market position. The Chinese internet company will ...
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News briefs
U.S. patent office finds Timberland’s iconic boot design too generic
The U.S. Patent Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board denied a bid by VF Corp. to register the design of Timberland’s iconic Yellow Boot, concluding that it lacks sufficient acquired distinctiveness. The board noted that there was no evidence that competitors were trying to intentionally copy the boot’s trade dress, ...
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News briefs
Goldstar chalks up legal victories over Birkenstock
The Silvagni family that owns the Goldstar brand has sent its customers and retailers a letter to inform them of a string of European court sentences that have seen it come out ahead in a long-standing legal battle with Birkenstock, which is being taken over by companies linked to the ...
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News briefsThe French antitrust clears Beaumanoir’s purchase of La Halle stores
The French antitrust agency, Autorité de la Concurrence, has authorized without conditions the purchase of 366 stores of the apparel and footwear chain La Halle by Beaumanoir. The agency noted that some of the stores will retain the La Halle name while others will be rebranded as Beaumanoir. It added ...
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News briefs
Mario Valentino wins trademark infringement case against Farfetch
Mario Valentino, an Italian producer of shoes, handbags and leather goods, has won a case in the Milan court against the e-retailer Farfetch UK and Modes, a boutique owner affiliated with Farfetch, for the improper use of the brand name Valentino. According to the terms of a co-existence agreement between ...
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ArticleMyanmar violence raises sourcing concerns
Many sports and fashion brands that have shifted part of their sourcing for apparel and footwear to Myanmar because of its lower labor costs are watching with awe the consequences of the recent military coup in the country. According to observers, it may be difficult for some of them to ...
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News briefs
EU plans to introduce a cross-border Covid pass by the summer
On March 17, the European Commission unveiled plans to create the so-called “Digital Green Certificate” to facilitate free movement inside the European Union during the Covid-19 pandemic. The certificate will be a proof that a person has been vaccinated against the virus, received a negative test result or recovered from ...
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ArticleUK lawmakers call for garment industry watchdog to combat labor abuses
British lawmakers have called for the creation of a garment industry watchdog to stop labor abuses at suppliers to fashion industry retailers such as Boohoo, saying voluntary codes to tackle exploitation are not working. Parliament’s cross-party Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), which has been investigating fashion sustainability for the last two ...
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News briefs
Trump sues Marc Fisher
Trump Organization, the company of the former U.S. president, Donald Trump, is suing Marc Fisher Footwear for allegedly unpaid rent. The shoe maker has a showroom on the 21st floor of the Trump Tower in New York. Trump Organization is seeking $1.47 million from Marc Fisher, which occupies the whole ...
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Article
Germany plans to protect human rights in global supply chains
On March 3, the German federal government approved a bill that aims to force local companies to respect human rights in their global supply chain. Parliament is expected to pass the draft legislation, commonly referred to as the Supply Chain Act, by the middle of the year. The legislation is ...
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ArticleThree German retail associations merge to have more clout
Three German retail associations BTE (representing apparel), BDSE (footwear) and BLE (leathergoods) have decided to merge this year to form the BTE Handelsverband Textil, Schuh, Lederwaren. The combination will give the new assocation more clout in defending the interests of their members “alongside and in line with the HDE,” according ...
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ArticleThe U.K. to regulate the “buy now pay later” market
The British government announced that the increasingly popular interest-free ”buy now pay later” (BNPL) credit agreements will be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in order to protect consumers. The government noted that the volume of transactions involving BNPL solutions more than tripled in 2020 as the pandemic drove ...
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News briefs
Another legal victory for the Moon Boot
Tecnica Group has won a second court verdict in Italy to protect the intellectual property rights behind its Moon Boot, and it is now planning to carry the fight to other countries as well, starting with Germany and Italy. The Milan Tribunal ruled on Jan. 25 that the unique design ...
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ArticleItalian shoemakers seek geographical indication protection from EU
The municipality of Monte Urano, led its mayor, Moira Canigola, is seeking to obtain geographical indication protection from the European Commission for the footwear cluster located in the Fermo-Macerata area in the Marche region. The town asked the Commission to consider widening IG protection to non-food products. Canigola said that ...
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News briefs
Jimmy Choo to open a fashion academy in London
The designer Jimmy Choo announced the opening of the JCA/London Fashion Academy in September. Located in the heart of Mayfair, it aims to provide students with design and entrepreneurial skills. In a statement, he described London as a global fashion hub that “has created many of the world’s most exciting ...
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News briefs
Google probed by the EU
Google is under dual investigations in the European Union for allegedly abusive practices in its advertising business. This month, according to Reuters, anti-trust regulators for the EU have sent to a number of advertisers a 13-page questionnaire regarding the “Include Google Display Network” default setting for search campaigns on Google ...
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Article
EU Commission calls to ‘strongly discourage’ intra-EU travel
The European Commission has proposed the European Council to discourage non-essential travel between European Union member states amid high Covid-19 infection rates and concerns about new virus variants, while avoiding border closures or blanket prohibitions that would impede the functioning of the internal market and supply chains. “The Commission proposes ...
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News briefs
U.S. customs is withholding cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang
The U.S. government is increasing its pressure on Chinese interests and authorities to stop engaging in labor practices that violate basic human rights. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency has issued a third Withhold Release Order (WRO) for cotton products and tomato products produced in Xinjiang, China. ...
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News briefs
EU updates supplier/wholesaler/retailer regulations
The European Commission is sounding out companies involved in the sale and distribution of consumer goods and their trade associations to provide input for the reform of a set of guidelines governing dealings between suppliers, wholesalers and retailers. First issued in 2010 and called the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation – ...
