COF to Face Lawsuit Over Alleged Theft of Influencer Commissions

Core Viewpoint - Capital One (COF) faces a lawsuit from social media creators who allege that the bank's free browser extension deprived them of commissions on sales generated through their content [1][9]. Group 1: Details of the Lawsuit - U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga ruled that influencers presented a plausible case, claiming Capital One was aware that its extension redirected their commissions by overriding tracking codes [2]. - The lawsuit pertains to affiliate marketing, where creators earn commissions by promoting content on their platforms [3]. - The Capital One Shopping browser extension, with over 10 million users, allegedly misrepresented Capital One as the source of referral traffic, allowing the bank to collect commissions that belonged to content creators [4]. Group 2: Legal Proceedings - The judge allowed claims of unjust enrichment, contract interference, and violation of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to proceed, while dismissing a conversion claim and four other state-level claims [5]. - Capital One responded by denying the allegations, asserting that its extension does not unlawfully take credit for commissions and that merchants control commission distribution [6]. Group 3: Company Performance - Over the past six months, Capital One's shares have increased by 5.4%, outperforming the industry growth of 3.7% [8]. - Currently, Capital One holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [10].