Unfair Competition

Taylor Swift in legal showdown over ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ album title use

A Las Vegas showgirl is suing Taylor Swift over the pop singer’s use of a phrase for her newest album title, which is similar to a trademarked term, according to a claim in California federal court.

Mar 31, 2026 2:46 PM CDT

Law firm targets businesses for allegedly misleading ‘sale’ prices

Small business owner Deborah Dombrowski’s Lighthouse Trails Publishing is among dozens of online retailers around the country that have been sued by the Institute for Truth in Marketing, an 11-year-old Washington, D.C., nonprofit that bills itself as protecting consumers against deceptive advertising.

Mar 30, 2026 2:46 PM CDT

Companies use ‘deceitful tactics’ to market harmful ultra-processed products with ‘addictive nature,’ city’s suit alleges

A lawsuit filed Tuesday by the city of San Francisco alleges that several major food companies used “deceitful tactics it inherited from the Big Tobacco industry” to market harmful ultra-processed foods and to "aggressively sell those products to children.”

Dec 4, 2025 11:20 AM CST

Influencer who sued rival for alleged copycat styling and ‘aesthetic’ has dropped her lawsuit

An influencer has dropped her lawsuit accusing a rival influencer of posting photos copying her featured products, poses, camera angle, apparel styling, flower tattoo and "neutral, beige and cream aesthetic.”

Jun 4, 2025 10:20 AM CDT

Using Westlaw headnotes to train competing AI legal research program isn’t fair use, judge rules

An appeals judge sitting by designation changed his mind Tuesday and partly ruled for Thomson Reuters in its lawsuit claiming that a legal research startup committed copyright infringement by training its artificial intelligence program using Westlaw headnotes.

Feb 12, 2025 2:30 PM CST

ACLU among groups calling on arbitrators to stop enforcing ‘stay or pay’ contracts

More than a dozen civil rights groups are urging the American Arbitration Association to stop the enforcement of “stay or pay” contracts.

Jan 14, 2025 9:14 AM CST

Pro se litigant and lawyer ordered to pay $1.5M for using Lewis Brisbois name

Updated: A federal judge in Houston has ordered a lawyer and a pro se litigant in a rental-fee and eviction dispute to pay $1.5 million for registering a Texas business using the name of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, the law firm representing their litigation opponent in the rental litigation.

Sep 17, 2024 3:05 PM CDT

Paul Weiss partner, ‘a skilled handler of high-ego politicians,’ is helping Harris with debate prep

A partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison helped Vice President Kamala Harris prepare for Tuesday's presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, even as she prepared as lead attorney for Google in an antitrust trial based on alleged online advertising dominance.

Sep 10, 2024 11:10 AM CDT

FTC ban on noncompetes raises confidentiality issues—and can it be enforced?

The rule, which rescinds most current and bans all future noncompetes, is expected to affect nearly one in five American workers, according to the FTC. It will go into effect in early September if it’s not overturned or delayed.

Jun 6, 2024 1:44 PM CDT

Kim Kardashian sued for claiming ‘low-grade’ knockoff furniture was made by artist Donald Judd

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian claimed on video that she had purchased “Donald Judd tables” that were in fact “cheap knockoffs,” leading consumers to think that the source of the furniture was the nonprofit foundation dedicated to the artist’s legacy, according to a lawsuit filed this week.

Mar 28, 2024 11:20 AM CDT

Judge rules for Trademark Express owner in suit alleging unauthorized practice

Updated: Nonlawyer employees of Trademark Express are not engaged in the practice of law, a federal judge said in a decision Tuesday.

Apr 8, 2021 1:57 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: New charges filed in George Floyd case; state chief justice decries court system bias

Officer faces increased charge in George Floyd case; others also charged Prosecutors have added an upgraded charge against the Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd by pressing his knee into his neck. Derek Chauvin was previously charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He now faces a charge…

Jun 3, 2020 3:41 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Justice Thomas speaks in SCOTUS teleconference arguments; courts want rule ideas

Few glitches and 1 surprise in SCOTUS teleconference arguments U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas asked questions during the high court’s first teleconference arguments Monday, something he rarely does. The court followed a new format in which Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. asked the first question, then other justices…

May 4, 2020 3:39 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Bar associations battle over trademark; New Jersey judge rebuked over rape case

• Even though the Association of Trial Lawyers of America changed its name to the American Association for Justice in 2006, the Washington, D.C.-based bar association is suing the California-based Association of American Trial Lawyers for trademark infringement and unfair competition. The suit says the American Association for Justice sent…

Jul 3, 2019 4:27 PM CDT