Daily LInks
1. Unveiling New Insights to Spur the Beauty and Fashion Industry in India. Amongst the surveyed shoppers who discover beauty and fashion brands on social media, 92% of beauty shoppers and 97% of fashion shoppers said they find them on Meta platforms. – Read More on Meta
2. Richemont digital strategy goes back to square one. Loss-making Farfetch looks ill-equipped to complete the transaction with Richemont. Shares in the loss-making company are down more than 70% since it agreed to acquire a majority stake in YNAP. – Read More on Reuters
3. RELATED READ: Richemont and Farfetch: Breaking Down the YNAP Deal. With two of the biggest names in the luxury e-commerce space seemingly on track for an ultimate merger, it is tempting to wonder whether the space will operate as a monopoly. – Read More on TFL
4. Cristiano Ronaldo faces $1bn lawsuit over Binance ads. Cristiano Ronaldo is facing a class action lawsuit in the US over his promotion of Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. The plaintiffs claim his endorsement led them to make loss-making investments. – Read More on BBC
5. Famous authors’ lawsuit against ChatGPT developer gets underway. A federal judge in New York on Wednesday will hold the first hearing in a closely watched case about copyright concerns raised by artificial intelligence. – Read More on ABC News
6. Meet the Lawyer Leading the Human Resistance Against AI. Matthew Butterick is leading a wave of lawsuits against major AI firms, from OpenAI to Meta. Win or lose, his work will shape the future of human creativity. – Read More on Wired
1. Farfetch tycoon bids to take luxury fashion site private after failed US float. José Neves is understood to be in talks with bankers and top shareholders, who include Cartier-owner Richemont, about a deal that would bring an abrupt end to its short but calamitous stint on the NYSE. – Read More on the Telegraph
2. Why Chinese fashion giant Shein is eyeing a US IPO in secret. Filing for a secret IPO is likely due to Shein being extra-cautious as the US IPO climate is somewhat turbulent and could make it challenging for Shein to stay afloat. – Read More on EuroNews
3. Shein Still Needs to Prove It’s a Bargain. Geopolitics is another risk for Shein, although the company has distanced itself from its Chinese roots—most obviously by moving its headquarters to Singapore. – Read More on the WSJ
4. How ‘ESG’ came to mean everything and nothing. The fragility of the entire ESG movement – and in some respects, a major catalyst for its downfall – may well lie in its name, which has morphed into an umbrella catchphrase with little concrete meaning. – Read More on the BBC
5. Pre-owned luxury goods biz gains momentum. China’s secondhand luxury goods market has grown to such a size that the potential value of all the products that could be traded could exceed 3 trillion yuan ($420 billion), said the Yaok Institute, a market research firm. – Read More on China Daily
6. Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers. Ortiz isn’t the only AI-generated author published by Sports Illustrated, according to a person involved with the creation of the content. – Read More on Futurism
1. Gucci employees strike: What’s at stake for the Italian fashion titan? Gucci employees are striking in Rome over what they claim is “collective dismissal” by the company. But a lot more could be at stake for the Italian luxury brand, including its upcoming fashion show. – Read More on EuroNews
2. The Resilience of Luxury Brands to Be Tested in 2024. A widening divide is evident in consumers’ preferences toward more experiences, specifically luxury hospitality, cruises and fine dining, as people are now free to travel. This category will advance 15% year-over-year. – Read More on Forbes
3. Black Friday Shoppers Set Online Spending Record, Adobe Says. Black Friday shoppers spent a record $9.8 billion online in the US, Adobe Analytics reported, offering a positive sign for retailers facing lackluster sales forecasts for the holiday season. – Read More on Bloomberg
4. AI and the Rise of Mediocrity. Everything that predictive language and image models will produce will be a sequel to what came before: not an original idea, but a mash-up of our old tropes, repackaged for our consumption. – Read More on Time
5. The Problems Lurking in Hollywood’s Historic AI Deal. Bateman’s biggest worry is the language in the agreement concerning “synthetic performers”—or AIs that resemble humans. “This gives the studios/streamers a green-light to use human-looking AI objects instead of hiring a human actor.” – Read More on Wired
6. Five Ways AI Is Being Used in Luxury Retail. Uses of AI in the luxury sector range from generative AI and customer service applications to anti-counterfeiting measures and more. – Read More on Coresight
1. India warns Facebook, YouTube to enforce rules to deter deepfakes. The warning was conveyed by deputy IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a closed-door meeting where he said many companies had not updated their usage terms despite 2022 rules that prohibit content “harmful” to children, obscene or that “impersonates another person.” – Read More on Reuters
2. Once scorned, knockoff luxury goods now sources of pride. While counterfeits were once considered a shameful, cheap replacement for luxury fashion and beauty items, they have now sparked a competition of sorts to see who can snatch up the best bargains. – Read More on Korea Joongang Daily
3. It’s TikTok Shop’s first Christmas, and shoppers are torn between hot deals and ethics. A recent Shopify-Gallup survey says nearly half of respondents ages 18 to 29 said they plan on buying some holiday gifts on social media apps. – Read More on CNBC
4. Biometrics May Be Online Retail’s Ticket to More Sales. Retailers are leveraging innovative solutions, such as biometrics, to enhance convenience, security and personalized services in their day-to-day business. – Read More on PYMNTS
5. RELATED READ: Plaintiffs Drop BIPA Claims in Louis Vuitton Eyewear Try-On Case. The end of the Louis Vuitton case comes amid an influx of BIPA-centric cases, as an increasing number of brands and retailers have introduced things like virtual try-on tools that use biometric technology. – Read More on TFL
6. Black Friday Spending Was Strong. How People Pay for Gifts Is Upending Retailers. Store credit cards, which typically can only be used at a particular chain, have been a lucrative source of revenue for retailers as merchandise sales have slowed. – Read More on the WSJ
1. Markets Yet to Grasp Impact of EU Supply-Chain Law, Barclays Says. As the EU moves ahead with the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, companies based inside and outside the bloc would be well advised to pay close attention to its passage. – Read More on Bloomberg
2. RELATED READ: The EU Supply Chain Act: Compliance With the CSDDD, Applicability & Risks. Companies are likely to be exposed to environmental and human rights due diligence obligations by way of the CSDDD or national. – Read More on TFL
3. US E-Commerce to Exceed $1.1 Trillion in 2023. E-commerce sales in the U.S. are on target to exceed $1.1 trillion in 2023. But it will be the slowest year of growth since the 2009 recession. – Read More on Marketplace Pulse
4. Off/Script launches an app to create and buy AI-designed fashion. The company allows anyone to conceptualize, share, and monetize product mock-ups for a chance to make the concept a reality – from clothing, high-end handbags and other accessories to decor, furniture, electronics and more. – Read More on TechCrunch
5. Baidu’s ChatGPT-Style AI Begins to Earn as Sales Beat Estimates. Ernie, the company’s moniker for its generative AI model, should help generate hundreds of millions of yuan in additional ad revenue during 2023’s final quarter, the company estimates. – Read More on Yahoo
6. Waste from Adidas, Walmart, other brands fueling Cambodia brick kilns. Waste from at least 19 international brands including Adidas and Walmart is being used to fuel kilns in brick factories in Cambodia, and some workers were falling ill, according to a report by a local rights group released. – Read More on Reuters
1. The Cybersecurity Lawsuit That Boards Are Talking About. In October, the SEC sued a software company hacked by Russian agents in 2020, accusing it of defrauding investors by not disclosing allegedly known cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities. – Read More on NY Times
2. ‘Dupes’ clothing, perfume craze lures holiday shoppers as major brands fret. Dupes have become so widely available from such a broad range of sellers that experts say it is difficult to quantify how much market share they may steal from the original products. Most at risk are brand-name perfumes, cosmetics and mid-tier clothing and footwear. – Read More on Reuters
3. Brands keep dumping their script logos. Which brand will be next? An overarching move to rebrand has raised the question, which will be the next script-logo domino to fall? Could it be Kellogg’s, Coors, Lysol, Hallmark, Cadillac, Champion, or Instagram perhaps? Could it be the classic Ford Motor Company wordmark? – Read More on Fast Co.
4. RELATED READ: Blanding. What Is It, How Did We Get Here & What Does it Mean Going Forward? As part of a larger trend in branding, or better yet, blanding, a growing number of high fashion and luxury companies – and other consumer goods and tech companies, as well – are looking to spartan logos “designed not to stand out at all, but to blend in.” – Read More on TFL
5. Shoppers Are Finally Getting a Break on Prices. “Consumers are under pressure and they are continuing to shift into experiences and away from the categories we sell,” Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette said. – Read More on the WSJ
6. Power grab by France, Germany and Italy threatens to kill EU’s AI bill. France, Germany and Italy are stonewalling negotiations over a controversial section of the EU’s draft AI legislation, so it doesn’t hamper Europe’s own development of “foundation models.” – Read More on Politico
1. Germany, France and Italy reach agreement on future AI regulation. The three governments support commitments that are voluntary, but binding on small and large AI providers in the European Union that sign up to them. – Read More on Reuters
2. Fewer shoppers in Burberry stores complicates design overhaul. Shoppers in the United States and Europe have grown cautious about splashing out on high-end purchases as the cost of living rises, while appetite in China has been deflated by a property crisis and record youth unemployment. – Read More on Reuters
3. Disney Asked Microsoft to Prevent AI Users From Infringing Its Trademarks. Tributes and parodies of Pixar-style characters generated by Microsoft’s Bing AI imaging tool have drawn the attention of The Walt Disney Company’s legal counsel. – Read More on Cartoon Brew
4. Google is embedding inaudible watermarks right into its AI generated music. SynthID will be used to watermark audio from DeepMind’s Lyria model, so it’s possible to work out if Google’s AI tech has been used in the creation of a track. – Read More on the Verge
5. Failures to Function and Likelihood of Confusion: Takeaways from Two Recent Federal Circuit Trademark Decisions. The Federal Circuit affirmed the TTAB’s refusal to register the mark EVERYBODY VS RACISM because it failed to function as a trademark, and affirmed the dismissal of Trek’s opposition to the registration of the RANGER TREK mark. – Read More on Patentlyo
6. AI and You: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Is Fired, the Rise of Synthetic Performers. One concern about generative AI is how the tech can be used to copy real people and fool you into thinking that person is saying or doing something they didn’t. – Read More on CNET
1. US seizes $1 bn worth of fake luxury goods in NY. “The seizures announced today consist of merchandise with over $1 billion in estimated retail value, the largest-ever seizure of counterfeit goods in US history.” – Read More on Yahoo
2. These lawyers used ChatGPT to save time. They got fired and fined. Stressed-out lawyers are turning to chatbots to write tedious briefs. Law firms are using AI language tools to sift through thousands of case documents, replacing the work of associates and paralegals. AI legal assistants are helping lawyers analyze documents, memos and contracts in minutes. – Read More on Washington Post
3. TikTok Shop videos from influencers promoting knockoff products are becoming the next big headache in e-commerce. “If TikTok loses control over this and there’s a lot of bad actors, then it’s going to in the long run hurt their ability to have a successful e-commerce operation.” – Read More on BI
4. RELATED READ: A Growing Problem on Social Media? The Rise of the “Dupe Influencer.” To view a counterfeit good – one that is made to imitate all facets of the genuine product, including its registered trademark(s) – as simply a cheaper alternative to a brand name product is an oversimplification that fails to consider a number of serious concerns. – Read More on TFL
5. Kmart Group urged to join industry textile recycling scheme or face regulation, government says. The federal government has called on one of Australia’s biggest retailers, Kmart Group, to support an industry-led textile recycling scheme, or risk regulation. – Read More on the Guardian
6. AI is already great at faking video and audio, experts say. Digital authenticity certification is the most effective strategy to offset AI deepfakes (39%), followed by public education on deepfakes (29%), improved detection technology (18%) and stricter regulations (13%). – Read More on Axios
1. Prices For Even ‘Accessible’ Luxury Brands Skyrockets. “Middle class professionals who once saved up for a luxury investment handbag or coat have been aggressively priced out.” – Read More on Media Post
2. Who owns AI art? Copyright questions are throwing a wrench into generative AI at every turn, from training data to questions about who controls the output. – Read More on the Verge
3. RELATED READ: AI Trained on Copyrighted Works: When Is It Fair Use? In cases where the end goal of machine learning is new functionality, the use is likely transformative. Some examples could be using the learned ability to recognize faces or types of objects in the pictures for purposes other than generating art. – Read More on TFL
4. No big boost expected in luxury spending during holiday season – Bain. “It will really be linked to tourist flows,” said Bain partner Federica Levato of spending on high end goods in Europe, noting that local shoppers had reined back spending after three years of strong, post-pandemic growth. – Read More on Reuters
5. Does Elon Grok the Trademark Issues With ‘Grok’? AI Chip Company Groq Does. Now, Groq and xAI are in different, but related businesses. Groq is making the chips that make it possible for any generative AI model to be insanely fast (their demo is on Llama 2), but they’re both in the AI business. – Read More on TechDirt
6. How Chinese e-commerce fuels counterfeit fashion in Nigeria. In Nigeria, these knockoffs or counterfeits are known as “fake originals.” Modeled on popular sports or luxury brands, they cost a fraction of the price of an original. – Read More on Rest of World
1. Meta, Alphabet, ByteDance, Snap must face social media addiction lawsuits. A federal judge on Tuesday rejected efforts by major social media companies to dismiss nationwide litigation accusing them of illegally enticing and then addicting millions of children to their platforms, damaging their mental health. – Read More on Reuters
2. The SAG Deal Sends a Clear Message About AI and Workers. The SAG deal is similar to the DGA and WGA deals in that it demands protections for any instance where machine-learning tools are used to manipulate or exploit their work. – Read More on Wired
3. Building an e-commerce sales success story is getting more complex and costly. The FTC lawsuit against the retail giant alleges it uses “monopoly power” to control prices, stifle competition and force independent sellers to pay high fulfillment and advertising costs. – Read More on CNBC
4. No Shame in the Game: Why Consumers Are Proudly Flaunting Dupes. “Dupe, private label, call it what you want, consumers want more,” and that’s a sentiment that lives on. This is because inflation is highly relevant, much like it was earlier this year. – Read More on PYMNTS
5. RETRO READ: Searches for “Replicas” Are Down Thanks to the Rise of the Dupe. The new use of “dupe” refers to products that make unauthorized use of brands’ names and other legally-protected trademarks, meaning that they are not “dupe,” but trademark infringing and/or counterfeit goods. – Read More on TFL
6. YouTube creators will soon have to disclose use of gen AI in videos or risk suspension. YouTube is rolling out new rules for AI content, including a requirement that creators reveal whether they’ve used generative artificial intelligence to make realistic looking videos. – Read More on AP