All Legal articles – Page 38
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Article
Germany gives more aid to retailers affected by the extended lockdown
As expected, the German government has agreed with the federal states on a further extension of a lockdown for retailers that sell non-essential products until Feb. 14. In response to requests made by fashion and sports retailers that are heavily dependent on the sale of winter products, especially seasonal clothing ...
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News briefs
Rossignol’s CEO speaks of an “industrial disaster” for France’s ski industry
In a recent interview with the French newspaper Ouest France, Rossignol’s chief executive, Bruno Cercley, warned about the dramatic situation that the French ski industry is facing because of the pandemic and related restrictions. Ski facilities are currently closed in France, whereas they are open in some other countries, including ...
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Article
Updated: Isn’t sports retailing an “essential” category?
The German government is widely expected to announce an extension of its lockdown for retailers of “non-essential” items as well as fitness studios and restaurants through Feb. 14, according to leading German media. The second German lockdown started on Dec. 16 and was supposed to end on Jan. 11, but ...
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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 – ...
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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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Article
Switzerland joins the retail lockdown
Joining Germany and Austria, the Swiss government has ordered the closure of all non-essential physical shops, starting on Monday, Jan. 18. The Swiss ban will last through the end of February, affecting all kinds of sports shops, many of which work a lot with winter sports. However, many Swiss ski ...
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News briefs
Nike and Converse file lawsuit against nearly 600 websites
Nike and its Converse subsidiary have filed the biggest lawsuit of the kind, accusing the 186 operators of 589 websites as well as 676 social media accounts for allegedly infringing on various trademarks and attempting to sell “falsely labeled” counterfeit products under their own brand names and that of Nike’s ...
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News briefs
Graffiti artist sues TNF over Futurelight logo
Artnet News reports that the U.S. street artist Futura is suing The North Face (TNF) for allegedly copying the stylized swirled atom design that has for years appeared throughout his artwork in its 2019 Futurelight collection of apparel, subsequently expanded to various accessories. According to Artnet, the artist’s filing, which ...
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News briefs
U.K., Canada to restrict business with Xinjiang, China
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the U.K. is seeking to separate British organizations from the extra-judicial detentions and forced labor that Uyghur Muslims and other minorities are undergoing at the hands of the ruling Chinese Communist Party in the province of Xinjiang. Citing “proof from the Chinese authorities’ ...
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News briefs
New Accademia Creativi Montebelluna in Italy’s Sportsystem district
The new Accademia Creativi Montebelluna (Montebelluna Creative Academy) brings together designers and professionals from the footwear and sporting goods sector of the so-called Montebelluna Sportsystem industrial cluster, in Italy’s northeast. Its general aim is to safeguard and transmit the cluster’s technical know-how to the new generations. The chairman of the ...
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News briefs
Another legal victory for Michael Jordan in China
Michael Jordan has won another victory in its legal battle with Qiaodan Sports, a Chinese sports apparel brand based in Fujian, obtaining an award of 300,000 renminbi (€38,000-$46,300) for “emotional” damages and RMB 50,000 for associated legal expenses. Early last year, China’s Supreme People’s Court had issued a final decision ...
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News briefs
Italian and French ski lifts will reopen later than planned
French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Feb. 7 that the country’s ski facilities will not be allowed to re-open on Feb. 8, as previously planned, but failed to specify a new opening date, while indicating that the government will take the traditional February school holidays into account. Meanwhile, the ...
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News briefs
HanesBrands wins trademark infringement case in China
HanesBrands, the parent company of Champion and other brands, has announced that it has received a favorable judgment from the Nanjing Intermediate People’s Court in a trademark infringement lawsuit involving its Champion brand in China. The six Chinese defendants were Hurricane, Chengda, Rainbow Wing, Fuxun, Yunma and Wu Zhanghao. The ...
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News briefs
Golf facilities shut down in England during new lockdown
All indoor and outdoor golf clubs and facilities in England, including driving ranges, have been required to shut down with immediate effect during the third national lockdown, which the U.K. government has just imposed and reinforced in connection with the worsening of the coronavirus pandemic. Golf retailers will be able ...
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Article
FLA members may not use products from the Xinjiang region
In an unprecedented move, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) has prohibited its member companies from sourcing from or producing in the Xinjiang region, in northwest China, because of growing concerns over violations of human and labor rights. The region is home to several ethnic minority groups, including the Uyghur people. ...
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News briefs
Intersport retailer makes a fuss over the newly extended German retail lockdown
After a consultation with the state governments, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Jan. 5 that a nationwide retail lockdown for the sale of non-essential goods will be prolonged until Jan. 31 because of the ongoing high level of contaminations from the Covid-19 virus. It started on Dec. 16 and ...
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ArticleU.K. signs free trade pacts with the EU and Turkey
On Christmas Eve, the U.K. and the EU reached an eleventh hour trade agreement, after nine months and some 2,000 hours of painstaking discussions involving about 200 officials. The deal, called the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, has since been approved by the ambassadors of the EU’s 27 member states ...
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News briefsEU reaches an agreement in principle to facilitate investments in China
After seven years of talks, the European Union and China have agreed in principle on an investment agreement after their leaders met on a conference call on Dec. 30. The parties had set the end of 2020 as the deadline to strike a deal. The European Commission said that the ...
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News briefs
Adidas opposes a proposed Thom Browne mark
In its latest move to defend its Three Stripes, Adidas has filed an opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) against a trademark application filed by Thom Browne in February. Adidas charges that the New York-based designer intends to use a logo consisting ...
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Alpine ski resorts under siege
Austria’s ski resorts were reopened on Dec. 24 as planned, and videos showed that they welcomed plenty of local tourists, as hotels and restaurants have remained closed. A further restriction came from the government’s decision to ban non-essential retailing, including the sale of skis and other sports products, at physical ...
