Amazon sees costs rising at faster pace than sales. 

Bell & Evans and Mary’s Chickens prepare to switch to more humane way of killing chickens. 

Calvin Klein faces censure in Australia over ads depicting violence. 

CBS picks up all five of its new fall TV shows. 

Dodge will get its first Fiat-based car in late 2011.

Ford lags in repairing cars recalled for fire-engine risk, regulators say. Continue reading...

Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefours would be welcomed by shoppers in India, where such “multi-brand” foreign-owned retailers currently are restricted, a new study says. Meanwhile, in the U.S., Wal-Mart’s new president scrambles to reverse earlier decisions that hurt sales.

American Apparel's troubles increase after auditor quits and fashion retailer (which is relaunching as "preppy") receives subpoena.

Axe Music launch is promoted with "mystery concerts" across U.S., kicking off with Mary J. Blige in New York.

Burger King tests $12.99 “shareable” pizza burger at its Whopper Bar in New York.

CBS will air a companion series to last winter’s hit reality show, Undercover Boss.

EMI faces an uphill struggle despite a corporate restructuring of the U.K. music icon.Continue reading...

Bratz—the brand and dolls—have been on ice since December while MGA Entertainment tussled with Mattel over rights to the 10-year old brand, which was a billion-dollar franchise at the height of its popularity in the mid-1990s.

Barbie's parent company claimed ownership because Bratz creator Carter Bryant was employed by the toy giant as a stylist when he came up with the concept, which he pitched and sold to MGA. Last week, a federal court threw out Mattel's claim and cleared MGA to resume marketing and distributing the line.

The new Bratz dolls have tamed their look (read: less makeup, more clothing) and will start hitting retailers shortly. But will its target audience—tween girls—even care?Continue reading...

Apple and J&J considered "most trustworthy" in a U.S. consumer survey.

Bratz dolls owner MGA Entertainment won back the rights to the brand from Mattel.

Caterpillar's healthy second-quarter earnings bodes well for the global industrial economy.

Channel Five in the U.K. has a handshake deal to be acquired by media tycoon Richard Desmond.

Comic-Con is underway in San Diego, where comic-book and movie superheroes take center stage.

Fiat pushes work ethic at Italian plant.

Ford posted its highest quarterly gains in six years, thanks to higher priced models and upgrades to SYNC.Continue reading...

Oh, those Bratz!

Barbie’s slutty brethren were granted a reprieve yesterday by the US Court of Appeals and will remain on store shelves in 2010.

MGA Entertainment, maker of the Bratz dolls, lost a 2008 court case ordering the company to stop selling the dolls and hand over the copyright to Mattel. The decision also awarded $100 million to Mattel.

Mattel filed the original suit, claiming that the Bratz dolls were created by designer Carter Bryant while he was still under Mattel’s employ.Continue reading...

Faberge and Louis Vuitton market high jewelry in different ways, to much success. [NY Times]

Will a buyer shell out the case for the "Tavern On the Green" name? [NY Times]

Diamond Foods' Emerald Nuts gains market share, improves sales. [WaPo]

Bratz dolls live another day. US appeals court suspends court order demanding brand be handed over to Mattel. [Times of London]

Dell announces own corporate data center plan, aimed at competing with H-P and Cisco. [WSJ]

Tesco to offer a £20-a-month iPhone. [Times of London]Continue reading...

What does it take to dethrone Barbie? The buxom blonde plastic doll has been reigning for over half a century – which isn’t to say that designers aren’t trying. Behold, the new line of “Liv” dolls targeted at girls age 6 to 10.

While aimed at the same audience as Barbie or Bratz, Spin Master's designers are attempting to brand the dolls as a realistic alternative to the two. To that end, every doll has a trademark physical flaw (though none that seem immediately noticeable).Continue reading...