On August 20, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas held that the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) final rule banning noncompetes is unlawful and “set aside” the rule. “The Rule shall not be enforced or...more
On July 3, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a decision and order enjoining the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from enforcing its final rule banning most noncompete agreements....more
On April 23, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to publish a final rule with sweeping effect, purporting to bar prospectively and invalidate retroactively most employee noncompete agreements....more
On April 30, the Federal Register announced that the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Non-Compete Clause Rule is scheduled to be published on May 7. The Rule becomes effective 120 days after publication, resulting in an...more
As discussed in our recent alerts, the final rule would bar employers from entering into and enforcing noncompetes with most workers.
ArentFox Schiff’s Trade Secrets, Noncompetes & Employee Mobility Team has been...more
4/30/2024
/ Audits ,
Confidential Information ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Nonprofits ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Trade Secrets
Today, the Federal Trade Commission adopted a final rule purporting to ban noncompete covenants for workers nationwide, which will become effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register, unless first enjoined in...more
4/24/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
U.S. Commerce Department
With 2024 underway, we highlight some of the most pressing legal issues facing employers this year, including increased regulation of noncompetition agreements, new paid family and medical leave laws, a new Overtime Rule, and...more
4/23/2024
/ Cannabis Products ,
Citizenship Status Discrimination ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Medical Leave ,
Misclassification ,
New Rules ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
OSHA ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Unions
On April 16, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it will hold a special Open Commission Meeting on Tuesday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. ET, for purposes of voting on its proposed final rule banning noncompete...more
2023 was a banner year for trade secrets, non-competes, and other restrictive covenants. Employee non-competes continued to garner attention at the federal agency level, drawing commentary and action from the Federal Trade...more
3/13/2024
/ Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Cybersecurity ,
Damages ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employment Contract ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Former Employee ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws ,
Trade Secrets
In June 2023, a federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois denied Aon Corp.’s request for a temporary restraining order against Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. and nine former Aon employees after they allegedly...more
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a new rule that would ban employers from requiring workers to sign non-competes and require recission of existing non-competes. The FTC’s press release...more
On July 12, 2022, the Council of the District of Columbia voted to amend the District of Columbia’s Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act of 2020 (the “Act”). Implementation of the Act has been delayed on several...more
In 2021, trade secrets and non-competes continued to garner attention on the national stage. Non-competes were the focus of significant legislative activity at both the federal and local levels, while trade secrets lead to...more
On January 13, 2022, the Supreme Court reinstituted a stay blocking OSHA's COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS), which mandated that employers with 100 or more employees require their employees...more
1/17/2022
/ Biden v Missouri ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On December 17, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued an Opinion lifting the stay of OSHA's emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring employers with 100 or more employees to implement mandatory...more
12/21/2021
/ Appeals ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On November 12, the Fifth Circuit extended its stay on OSHA’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS), which mandated that employers with 100 or more employees require their employees to get...more
On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its long-awaited emergency temporary standard (ETS) mandating that large employers require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19...more
11/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Rules ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Large employers should soon have specific guidance on complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) vaccine and testing mandate. On September 9, President Biden announced that OSHA would issue an...more
In today's episode of the returning to work podcast series, Partner Brian Schneider and Associate Alexandra Romero discuss the following topics:
* Managing and setting policies for remote working
* Partial in-office...more
As increasing scrutiny was cast at the state and federal level on noncompetition agreements and other restrictive covenants, companies were forced to assess their ability to safeguard trade secret information. Not to mention...more
3/8/2021
/ Anti-Raiding ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trade Secrets
On January 21, 2021, the Biden Administration issued an Executive Order outlining its objectives with respect to worker health and safety during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Order reflects President Biden’s promises...more
2/22/2021
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Guidance Update ,
Health and Safety ,
Masks ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
Remote Working ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On January 11, 2021, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law the Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act of 2020, passed by the Council of the District of Columbia in December 2020.
Update: The law will now be published...more
In light of the development of a COVID vaccine, employers across all industries are beginning to plan for their employees to return to the workplace.
In today’s episode, Partner Brian D. Schneider and Associate Alexandra M....more
On December 15, 2020, the Council of the District of Columbia passed a bill that, if enacted into law, would largely ban employers from requiring their D.C. employees to sign non-compete agreements.
If the bill is not...more
On December 7, 2020, the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a rule clarifying the scope of the religious exemption under Executive Order 11246 (EO 11246), which requires equal...more