Tag Archives: business

Cooking Up a Class Action

Deceptive packaging

Within the realm of seemingly frivolous lawsuits, the recent claim filed by a Florida mac and cheese consumer may offer valid points of contention. According to her argument, under the guise that the food is prepared in 3.5 minutes, Kraft Heinz Company has sold a competitively higher priced selection of mac and cheese cups to its consumers. For eight 2.39 ounce cups, the product, Velveeta’s Microwavable Shells and Cheese Cups, is valued at $10.99. The consumer contends that, had she known the true timeframe of food preparation from start to finish, she might not have elected to purchase a pricier mac and cheese option. Continue reading →

Authors Subjected to Dispute

Writers turn the page

Authors are weighing in on the lawsuit between publishers and the Internet Archive, which purchases books for digital lending. While certain authors are standing in support of traditional libraries, they are also acknowledging dissimilarities between Internet Library and brick and mortar book lending. Internet Archive, however, has compared its services to that of a library, equipped with limitations of use. Publishers, such as Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers LLC, John Wiley & Sons Inc. and Penguin Random House, have accused the non-profit organization of committing copyright infringement and capitalizing the authors’ market for their e-books.   Continue reading →

Can’t Makeup This Violation

Glossing over guidelines

California is home to one of the most rigid consumer privacy laws in the country. Originally passed in 2018 and later intensified in 2020, the law affords consumers the right to know the extent of information collected by companies online, the ability to have that private data deleted, and the capability to refuse the sale of their information to third party entities. The strength of this law led to the $1.2 million settlement of a civil suit, which pinned the cosmetics company, Sephora Inc., of violating consumer rights. The company failed to comply with the law and allegedly sold customer information without consent. Continue reading →

Fake Twitter Purchase

Staying connected

A publicly traded company since 2013, Twitter’s existence depends on its owners and its users. As one of its largest shareholders, Elon Musk proposed an acquisition of the company earlier this year. After the company failed to disclose the precise percentage of its fake user accounts, referred to as bot accounts, Musk rescinded his $44 billion offer. The company has now responded with legal action and challenges Musk’s reasoning for not going through with the deal. Twitter accuses Musk, who operates as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, of changing his mind due to a shift in his financial motivations. Continue reading →

An Inconvenient Ruling

Franchise folly

Although it is based in Texas, 7-Eleven is a household name in several countries. The multinational company offers considerations for franchise opportunities, but also maintains the right to end the contract if certain standards or guidelines are not upheld. A 7-Eleven store owner located in Osaka, Japan, for example, is now ordered to pay $845,000 in damages to the company for failing to remain open 24 hours a day. Starting in 2019, a franchisee, Mitoshi Matsumoto, who opened the store in 2012, decided to close down operation for a few hours every night. The decision to close for five hours each night resulted in a loss of business and an infraction against company policy. Continue reading →