Ecommerce Innovation Alliance

Read the full analysis here: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/gerald-la… This is the latest installment in EIA's ongoing investigation into high-volume litigation campaigns targeting ecommerce businesses.

A notable development in the ongoing pattern of procedural issues we've been tracking. In a recent court filing, attorney Gerald D. Lane Jr of the Law Offices of Jibrael S. Hindi acknowledged that courts had issued 145 show cause orders in his cases in response to missed deadlines and other procedural deficiencies across his cases. The 145 orders Mr. Lane disclosed—and the additional show cause orders that followed just days later—point to a broader issue than missed deadlines alone. They reflect the risks of treating federal litigation as a high-volume business model: soliciting consumers with promises of a "payday," filing hundreds of near-identical lawsuits against law-abiding ecommerce businesses, and operating at a scale where courts are repeatedly forced to intervene to keep cases on track. Meanwhile, the defendants in these cases—many of them small and medium-sized ecommerce businesses—must continue spending time and resources defending themselves regardless of how the plaintiff's docket is managed. EIA hopes courts will continue imposing meaningful sanctions where appropriate to deter abusive litigation practices, protect judicial resources, and ensure businesses are not forced to bear the costs of high-volume litigation campaigns. Read our latest analysis in the first comment. #AbusiveLitigation #LitigationAbuse #LegalReform #SmallBusiness #Ecommerce #ConsumerProtection #LegalNews #EcommerceLaw

Read our full analysis of the QUIET Act here: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/the-ai-di… EIA will continue engaging with policymakers and keeping the ecommerce community informed as the bill moves through the legislative process.

Artificial intelligence is becoming a core part of how ecommerce businesses communicate with customers—but Congress is beginning to take notice. H.R. 1027, the QUIET Act (Quashing Unwanted and Interruptive Electronic Telecommunications Act), would require businesses to disclose when AI is used to emulate a human in certain robocalls and text messages. The bill also proposes enhanced TCPA penalties for AI voice or text message impersonation used to defraud consumers. Notably, its definition of "text message" expressly includes SMS, MMS, and RCS messaging. EIA has already met with House Energy & Commerce Committee staff to discuss the proposal and is closely tracking the bill's progress. With a committee hearing scheduled for July 22, now is an important opportunity for stakeholders to weigh in before the legislation potentially advances toward markup. Read our latest analysis in the first comment. #ecommerce #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #TCPA #Compliance #QUIETAct #Robocalls #RCS #SMS #DigitalCommerce #SmallBusiness

Read the latest update on our blog here: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/breaking-… For background, see our previous coverage of the oral arguments before the Seventh Circuit and why this case has been one of the most closely watched TCPA cases for ecommerce businesses. This latest ruling marks a major milestone in that ongoing debate.

BREAKING: The Seventh Circuit has ruled that a text message is NOT a "call" under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). This is a significant decision for ecommerce businesses that rely on text messaging to communicate with customers. The court concluded that the TCPA's restrictions on "calls" do not automatically extend to text messages under the statutory language at issue, providing important clarity on a question that has generated years of litigation. EIA has been following this case closely. In our earlier coverage, we examined the arguments before the Seventh Circuit and why the outcome could reshape how businesses approach SMS communications. While this ruling is an important victory for a more faithful reading of the law, businesses should continue to monitor developments as courts across the country grapple with modern communications under statutes written decades ago. Read our analysis in the first comment. #ecommerce #TCPA #TextMessaging #Compliance #PublicPolicy #DigitalCommerce #SmallBusiness

Read the full update here: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/pennsylva… If you've been following this issue, this is the latest chapter in a legislative effort EIA has tracked from the beginning—from the bill's introduction to committee action and the EIA-backed amendments that helped shape the final legislation.

A major win for ecommerce businesses in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Legislature has unanimously passed SB 992, advancing legislation that modernizes the state's Telemarketer Registration Act and provides important protections for businesses that communicate with customers through text messaging. This marks the culmination of months of work by lawmakers, stakeholders, and advocates. Throughout the legislative process, EIA has closely followed the bill and supported amendments that help ensure the law reflects how businesses and consumers communicate today. SB 992 demonstrates that consumer protection and innovation can go hand in hand. By updating outdated statutes while preserving meaningful safeguards, Pennsylvania is providing a model for thoughtful, balanced policymaking. Read our latest analysis in the first comment. #ecommerce #PublicPolicy #ConsumerProtection #TCPA #Compliance #DigitalCommerce #SmallBusiness #SB992

Read the full update on our blog here: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/coalition… For additional background, see our earlier coverage of this case and why the Supreme Court's decision could have far-reaching implications for ecommerce businesses and the use of common website technologies.

The debate over the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) has reached another important milestone. A broad coalition of business organizations has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to limit the expansion of the VPPA, warning that increasingly broad interpretations of the law could expose businesses to costly litigation over routine website technologies and online content. This update builds on EIA's previous coverage of the case and the potential consequences for ecommerce businesses. While the VPPA was enacted in 1988 to protect consumers' video rental records, plaintiffs have increasingly sought to apply the statute to modern digital tools in ways Congress could not have anticipated. The coalition argues that without clear limits, businesses across industries could face significant legal uncertainty and increased litigation risk. Read our latest analysis in the first comment. #ecommerce #Privacy #VPPA #DigitalCommerce #Compliance #PublicPolicy #SmallBusiness

Read the full update on our blog: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/federal-j… EIA will continue tracking court decisions and legislative efforts that distinguish legitimate privacy concerns from litigation based on outdated statutes and technical violations without evidence of actual consumer harm.

A significant ruling for ecommerce businesses facing California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) litigation. A federal judge has dismissed a CIPA lawsuit because the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate actual privacy harm—a key distinction in the growing wave of cases targeting businesses over the routine use of website tracking technologies. The decision reinforces an important principle: technical allegations alone should not be enough to sustain litigation absent a concrete privacy injury. As businesses continue to face lawsuits based on decades-old laws being applied to modern web technologies, rulings like this may help push back against abusive litigation that lacks evidence of real consumer harm. Link to EIA's latest analysis in the first comment. #ecommerce #CIPA #Privacy #ConsumerProtection #Compliance #DigitalCommerce #SmallBusiness #tracking

Read our latest blog post here: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/new-jerse…

States continue to expand their scrutiny of pricing transparency—and New Jersey is the latest example. A new "junk fees" initiative lead by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Matt Platkin signals growing state-level interest in regulating how businesses disclose prices and mandatory charges. For ecommerce businesses, it's another reminder that pricing compliance is becoming an increasingly important part of the regulatory landscape. As more states pursue their own approaches, businesses should pay close attention to these evolving requirements. Link to our update in the first comment. #ecommerce #ConsumerProtection #PricingTransparency #Compliance #DigitalCommerce #NewJersey #JunkFees

Read our latest update on SB 690 here: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/sb-690-ad… This latest committee vote marks another important milestone in that ongoing effort to curb abusive California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) litigation.

California's effort to curb abusive CIPA litigation just took an important step forward. Senate Bill 690 has advanced out of committee, keeping alive legislation designed to address the wave of lawsuits targeting businesses over the routine use of website technologies like cookies, pixels, and analytics tools. The bill reflects growing recognition among lawmakers that California's decades-old wiretapping law is being stretched far beyond its original intent. This development builds on EIA's earlier coverage of the growing movement to stop abusive CIPA shakedown lawsuits. Since then, momentum has continued to grow as businesses, trade associations, publishers, and other stakeholders have urged lawmakers to rein in litigation that has disproportionately impacted small and medium-sized businesses. While SB 690 still has several legislative hurdles ahead, its advancement is an encouraging sign for ecommerce businesses seeking greater legal certainty and a more balanced approach to consumer privacy. Link to our latest analysis in the first comment. #ecommerce #CIPA #Privacy #SmallBusiness #DigitalCommerce #LegalReform #EIA #EcommerceInnovationAlliance #supportSB690 #stopCIPAshakedowns

Read the latest update here: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/layoffs-h… For background, the EIA has been following the growth of quiet-hours litigation for months, including our earlier reports on the expanding scope of these lawsuits and the firms helping drive the trend. This latest development adds another chapter to a story that continues to affect ecommerce businesses across the country.

The attorneys behind the recent wave of TCPA "quiet hours" litigation are facing a new challenge: layoffs. Over the past several months, EIA has closely tracked the rapid growth of lawsuits targeting ecommerce businesses over alleged violations of state restrictions on the timing of marketing communications. We previously reported on the expanding scope of these cases and the firms driving this litigation trend. Most notably, the lead attorney behind many of these cases has reportedly been laid off. It remains unclear what this development means for the numerous pending lawsuits she was involved in. Link to our latest update in the comments. #ecommerce #TCPA #ConsumerProtection #DigitalCommerce #SmallBusiness #Compliance #Litigation #EcommerceInnovationAlliance

Read the full update on Governor Polis’ veto of Colorado HB 26-1210 on our blog: ecomm-alliance.org/blog/colorados…

Colorado’s “surveillance pricing” bill has been vetoed — a significant development for ecommerce businesses that rely on personalization, loyalty rewards, targeted offers, and customer retention tools. In our previous coverage, the EIA warned that HB 26-1210’s broad language could unintentionally sweep in common ecommerce practices that help small and medium-sized businesses compete and help consumers save. Governor Polis’ veto preserves those tools for now, but the broader policy debate is far from over. Lawmakers across the country continue to scrutinize data-driven pricing, AI, personalization, and digital advertising. Link to our full update in the first comment. #ecommerce #SmallBusiness #DigitalCommerce #Personalization #Privacy #AI #PublicPolicy #HB261210 #SurveillancePricing #EIA