With Britain’s revised departure date from the European Union just over a month away, companies are grappling with the reality that the nation’s fast-approaching leave from the 28-state political and economic union will come before an exit agreement is put in place. Of those expected to be impacted most: the British beauty and cosmetics industry stands to face sizable changes – from the labeling requirements for makeup to the marketability of “organic” skincare.

Off-White is going there. After counsel for Virgil Abloh’s buzzy designer label asserted legal rights in his particular brand of quotation marks in the since-settled lawsuit they filed against a bracelet company this spring, the brand’s legal team has filed a mass of trademark applications over the past several months. In addition to seeking registrations for stylized versions of the word “OFF” for use on things, such as “ashtrays, cigarette lighters, electronic cigarettes, cigarette filters, tobacco pipes, and cigarette holders,” and the placement of arrows on the side of a sneaker, Off-White is claiming exclusive legal rights in one specific use of quotation marks.  

In a matter of five years, Allbirds has managed to build what it says is a $1.4 billion business based on what have been called “the world’s most comfortable shoes.” Under the watch of co-founders Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger, the San Francisco-based sustainable footwear startup has largely made its name thanks to its marquee Wool Running sneakers, which are part of “an entirely new category of shoes, ones inspired by natural materials,” something of a rarity in the athletic shoe world. Now, Allbirds and its “it” sneakers are being knocked off. 

Five months ago, Instagram’s “coolest man” Gianluca Vacchi filed a copyright infringement and false designation of origin lawsuit against E*Trade in a New York federal court. In his April 2019 complaint, 52-year old Vacchi – a retired investor and the current non-executive director of IMA, his family’s Bologna-based machinery and packaging empire – alleged that E*Trade ran afoul of the law by copying “the persona and character [he] created for its own commercial purposes and financial gain” by way of not one but two television commercials that “simply rip-off of a number of videos created and published by Vacchi over the years.”  

The latest celebrity to be sued by a paparazzi photographer? Victoria Beckham. The former Spice Girl-turned-fashion figure is on the receiving end of a new copyright infringement lawsuit after posting a photo of herself to her Instagram story this summer. According to the complaint that counsel for Felipe Ramales filed in a New York federal court on Tuesday, Beckham did not seek the photographer’s “permission or consent” before posting the image of herself on her Instagram account nor did she – or her corporate entities, Victoria Beckham INC. and VB Beauty LLC – pay to license it. 

With the general rise in social media usage and the decline in conventional advertising formats has come a surge in Instagram-centric ad efforts. This push to meet consumers where they are, i.e., on Instagram, and other social media platforms, has meant that the jobs of influential figures – whether it be fashion bloggers, editors and runway models or reality television stars and more traditional Hollywood celebrities – have expanded to include building and maintaining sizable social media followings in order to leverage those followings for big-money advertising partnerships. 

The explosion of cannabidiol, or CBD, products – from trendy cosmetics to dietary supplements – is catching the attention of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). The until-very-recently little-known chemical compound currently represents a $5 billion market, according to cannabis industry research consultancy Brightfield Group, up a whopping 700% in value from last year, and unsurprisingly, brands, whether they be CBD-specific beauty and skincare brands or established names in luxury cosmetics, are rushing to the market. 

Burberry, Gucci, and Gabriela Hearst – these are a few of the major names that are going carbon neutral. Burberry made public its carbon emission goals in June, and has since followed up by declaring that its Spring/Summer 2020 show “has been certified as carbon neutral.” Gucci followed suit when it revealed by way of an Instagram campaign and formal announcement this month that it will be completely carbon neutral by the end of September – from its own in-house operations to those of its third-party suppliers. Still yet, sustainable luxury brand Gabriela Hearst confirmed that it offset its Spring/Summer show emissions, thereby, producing a carbon neutral show. 

Adidas cannot prevent others from registering 2-stripe trademarks, at least not in Japan. In a recent proceeding before the Japan Patent Office (“JPO”), the national intellectual property body shot down adidas’ attempt to invalidate Marubeni Footwear’s registration for a diagonal 2-stripe trademark. In an April 2018 filing, adidas sought to have the JPO cancel Marubeni’s registration, arguing that the Tokyo-based footwear brand obtained the mark in furtherance of “a malicious intention to take advantage of the reputation of [adidas’] famous trademark and impair the goodwill embodied in its iconic three stripes.” 

For decades, Walmart solidly held the reins as the largest retailer in the world. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based multinational retail corporation’s competition trailed far behind and it could afford to focus almost exclusively on its roots as a big-box retail chain, selling low-priced staples, such as laundry detergent, paper towels, bottled water, groceries, and even apparel basics and electronics, in all 50 states and beyond. Despite bringing in upwards of $500 billion per year in revenue as of 2017, Walmart has fallen short where its fast-growing rival, Amazon, has made its name: online.