This file photo from Monday Oct. 17, 2016, shows shoppers and pedestrians in a crosswalk near a giant billboard next to Macy's flagship department store in Herald Square in New York. Macy's has filed a lawsuit against the company that owns the billboard, fighting to prevent Amazon from taking over the advertising space that carried Macy's name for almost 60 years. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
Macy's has filed a lawsuit against the company that owns the giant billboard next to its flagship Manhattan store, fighting to prevent Amazon from taking over the advertising space that carried Macy's name for almost 60 years.
In the lawsuit, filed last week in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, the department store retailer said there has been a restrictive covenant in place since 1963 barring the billboard space from being used by any Macy's competitor.
But Macy's said that when it tried to negotiate a lease renewal this year, the billboard's owners, the Kaufman Organization, told them they were in discussions with a “prominent online retailer," and there was “little doubt" that meant Amazon, according to the lawsuit.
Messages were left with the Kaufman Organization seeking comment. Amazon had no comment.
In the lawsuit, Macy's asked the judge for an injunction that would keep Kaufman from leasing the space to Amazon or any other competitor.
“The damages to Macy’s customer goodwill, image, reputation and brand, should a ‘prominent online retailer’ (especially, Amazon) advertise on the billboard are impossible to calculate," the company said in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit pointed out that the billboard is highly visible in its annual Thanksgiving Day parade, which is nationally televised.
Used car prices are skyrocketing, with some costing as much as a brand new car. Cheddar News reporter Ashley Mastronardi has more on what's behind rising prices for pre-owned vehicles and some tips for getting the best bang for your buck.
A group of Amazon workers upset about recent layoffs, a return-to-office mandate and the company’s environmental impact is planning a walkout at the company's Seattle headquarters Wednesday.
A report from Rent.com finds that prices are stabilizing at the national level but some states are still seeing some skyrocketing rates. Jon Leckie, a researcher with Rent.com, joined Cheddar News to provide the big takeaways on what're the latest trends from the report.
Air New Zealand is asking passengers to weigh themselves before boarding flights in an effort to ensure "the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft."
