Daily LInks
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
1. Google Sues to Block AI Ads Preying on Small Businesses. Scammers are capitalizing on the rush of consumer interest in artificial-intelligence tools to steal U.S. small businesses’ social-media-account passwords, Google alleges in a new lawsuit. – Read More on WSJ
2. US retailers stuck with excess stock offer bargains as holiday season nears. Major U.S. retailers from Walmart to Macy’s could be saddled with too much stock for a second straight year, jeopardizing retailers’ profit margins and generating steep discounts for shoppers. – Read More on Reuters
3. U.S. forced labor laws strain China-dependent garment supply chains. The garment industry’s reliance on China for materials is presenting a major challenge as the U.S. “aggressively” cracks down on products with links to Xinjiang province. – Read More on Nikkei
4. The story behind the £1m handbag – and other outrageously priced fashion items. The bag is one of many items this season that come with eye-watering price tags. Those who can’t stretch to a Millionaire Speedy could instead elect to blow their budget on a £50,000 Burberry cocktail dress, a £14,000 Valentino skirt, a £11,500 Brunello Cucinelli jacket or a £7000 Bottega Veneta tote. – Read More on the Telegraph
5. No trademark for ‘Everybody vs. Racism,’ US appeals court says. A U.S. appeals court on Monday said the phrase “Everybody vs. Racism,” cannot be granted a trademark because it is not used to identify the maker or seller of a specific product. – Read More on Reuters
6. Chinese fast fashion retailer Temu overtakes Shein to dominate Japan and South Korea apps. “Temu has rapidly expanded its footprint beyond the U.S. and into a number of international geographies and we believe is now available in 40+ countries … where we continue to see opportunities for growth in the quarters ahead.” – Read More on CNBC
1. Luxury ecommerce groups lose their sparkle after top labels play digital catch-up. The waning fortunes of ecommerce groups partly reflects a tougher environment post-coronavirus as the luxury and ecommerce sectors cool. However it also points to the increasing digital heft of the luxury or high-end brands that make the products. – Read More on the FT
2. Biden must decide whether patent-infringing Apple watches can be imported into the U.S. from China by Christmas–but Congress could neuter America’s ability to protect its IP altogether. The U.S. International Trade Commission recently issued an order that could prohibit imports of some Apple Watch products. – Read More on Fortune
3. Tech Disrupted Hollywood. AI Almost Destroyed It. In Hollywood, the fear was that AI would be used to scan actors and recreate their performances without consent or compensation, or that large language models would be used on scripts in a way that would edge out screenwriters. – Read More on Wired
4. OpenAI seeks partnerships to generate AI training data. ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Thursday it intends to work with organizations to produce public and private datasets for training artificial intelligence (AI) models. – Read More on Reuters
5. Silicon Valley’s Big, Bold Sci-Fi Bet on the Device That Comes After the Smartphone. Humane, a company started by two former Apple employees, says its new artificial intelligence pin can stop all the scrolling. Can it live up to the hype? – Read More on NYTimes
6. Temu, Shein, Miravia: Amazon’s aggressive Chinese e-commerce rivals. These new online retail apps have been fast-tracking their way with all kinds of promotions and big discounts, basing their strategy on significant incentives to buy. – Read More on El Pais
1. Making Farfetch Fashionable to Investors Again Is a Stretch. Farfetch’s misadventure has saddled it with $1.6 billion of total debt and shriveled its market capitalization to about $630 million today from a peak of $26 billion in 2021 at the height of the pandemic’s online craze. – Read More on Bloomberg
2. Big Tech wants AI regulation. The rest of Silicon Valley is skeptical. A growing group of tech heavyweights — including influential venture capitalists, the CEOs of midsize software companies and proponents of open-source technology — are pushing back, claiming that laws for AI could snuff out competition in a vital new field. – Read More on Washington Post
3. Philadelphia Eagles file trademark application for “Kelly Green.” The Philadelphia Eagles have filed a trademark application for use of the phrase “Kelly green” as the debut of the throwback uniforms drives excitement and sky-high demand for merchandise. – Read More on Biz Journals
4. RELATED READ: The Strategies, Hurdles of Building Trademark Rights in Color. Even though it is well-established that companies can amass rights in (and registrations for) single color trademarks, what is a bit less clear is what that actually entails for brands beyond the immediate use-in-commerce element. – Read More on TFL
5. Amazon must pay $46.7M in voice-assistant patent case, US jury says. The jury determined that Amazon infringed patents belonging to VB Assets, whose predecessor VoiceBox Technologies created voice-control software for companies including carmakers Toyota, Chrysler and Dodge and GPS makers TomTom and Magellan. – Read More on Reuters
6. How artificial intelligence will transform fame. Far from diluting star power, ai will make the biggest celebrities bigger than ever, by allowing them to be in all markets, in all formats, at all times. – Read More on the Economist