In what may be a surprise to those who thought that restrictions on the use of noncompetes would go away with the change in administration, this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that the agency will form a...more
3/4/2025
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Unfair Competition ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
Practically on the eve of the inauguration, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (DOJ), jointly issued antitrust guidelines for business activities affecting workers. The FTC's...more
1/17/2025
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Biden Administration ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employees ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a notice of appeal of the Northern District of Texas’s decision granting plaintiffs’ summary judgment motion and “setting aside” the agency’s rule banning nearly all employee...more
In a complete victory for plaintiffs, a Texas court permanently enjoined the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) rule banning nearly all employee noncompetes. In the absence of the court’s decision, the rule had been scheduled...more
8/22/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Restrictive Covenants
In direct conflict with a recent Texas court ruling, on July 23, an Eastern District of Pennsylvania court denied ATS Tree Services’ motion for a preliminary injunction to stay the effective date of the Federal Trade...more
7/26/2024
/ Chevron Deference ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Pennsylvania ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Section 5
As workers were leaving their offices for the Fourth of July holiday, the Northern District of Texas issued its much-anticipated order preliminarily enjoining the effective date of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC)...more
There has been a great deal of press about the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) vote to ban employee non-competition provisions and policies. While the FTC describes the rule as a comprehensive ban, it acknowledges that the...more
4/30/2024
/ Banks ,
Credit Unions ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Section 5 ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted along party lines (3 to 2) to ban all worker noncompetition provisions. The final rule applies to all employees, including senior executives, and will become effective 120 days after...more
4/25/2024
/ Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that the commission will vote April 23 on its proposed rule to ban noncompete agreements. While the final rule may differ from the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) made another move to protect two of the Biden administration’s priority constituencies: small business and workers. This time, it targeted perceived unreasonable restraints in the franchise...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues to pursue its campaign against noncompete clauses. On January 5, the FTC voted 3-1 to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking, which, if implemented, would bar employers from...more
On January 5, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-1 to publish its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, proposing a new rule that, if implemented, would bar employers from entering into noncompete agreements with their...more
On July 9, President Biden signed an executive order on promoting competition in the American economy, listing broad priorities for antitrust enforcement. In conjunction with this order, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and...more
7/16/2021
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Biden Administration ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Mergers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
USDA ,
Vertical Mergers
Even in the absence of an agreement to fix compensation, simply exchanging competitively sensitive information could serve as evidence of an implicit illegal agreement.
On October 20, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and...more
11/9/2016
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Job Applicants ,
No-Poaching ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Pre-Employment Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Wage-Fixing