We recently reported that Kansas was in a minority of states to enact employer-friendly restrictive covenant legislation....more
After the nationwide injunction barring the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Noncompete ban, we reported that “employers can expect that states will continue to introduce legislation aimed at restricting the use of...more
In March of this year, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee signed into law a bill titled “An Act To Clarify That a Covenant Not to Compete Agreement Is Unenforceable for Certain Licensed Medical Professionals" (the “Act”)....more
New York State Senator Sean Ryan recently introduced Senate Bill 4641 (the “Bill”) that proposes to ban noncompete agreements for most New York employees....more
After the nationwide injunction barring the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Noncompete ban, we reported our anticipation that state legislatures would likely introduce legislation restricting the use of noncompetes....more
Consistent with our previous reporting that states would continue to address noncompete issues even after the apparent end of the FTC Noncompete Rule, Kansas has joined the growing list of jurisdictions to pass or introduce...more
As anticipated, following the end of the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed rule prohibiting employer noncompetes, states have ramped up their efforts toward limiting noncompete agreements, including some states that have...more
Consistent with our previous reporting that states would continue to address noncompete issues even after the apparent end of the FTC Noncompete Rule, Ohio has joined the growing list of jurisdictions seeking to restrict the...more
On January 3, 2025, the Washington State Legislature introduced HB1155 (the “Bill”) that, if passed, would broaden the definition of a “noncompetition covenant” and prohibit all employer-employee noncompete agreements....more
With the Federal Trade Commission’s Noncompete ban essentially dead, state legislatures, as expected, are taking restrictive covenant lawmaking into their own hands....more
This week, on our Spilling Secrets podcast series, our panelists look back on the top trade secrets and non-compete stories of the year:
This year has been a rollercoaster for trade secrets and non-compete law. We’ve seen...more
This week, on our Spilling Secrets podcast series, our panelists outline the benefits of intellectual property (IP) audits and trade secret assessments for employers and organizations looking to safeguard their assets:
With...more
Last week, employers who use noncompetes got more good news with respect to the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed noncompete ban....more
After what must have been a grueling two-hour and 52-minute oral argument on the merits of a challenge to the FTC’s Final Rule banning noncompetes, Judge Timothy Corrigan of the United States Court for the Middle District of...more
We previously reported that Ryan LLC (“Plaintiff”) and the United States Chamber of Commerce (“Plaintiff-Intervenor”), in anticipation of the Northern District of Texas’s merits disposition, would likely seek nationwide...more
We previously reported that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Ryan LLC v. Federal Trade Comm’n, Case No. 3:24-cv-00986-E, granted a preliminary injunction staying the Federal Trade Commission’s...more
On the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright Enters. v. Raimondo, which struck down decades of deference to administrative agencies known as “Chevron deference,” on July 3, 2024, the U.S. District Court...more
On June 26, 2024, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee vetoed a bill that would have banned nearly all noncompetes and customer non-solicits in the State of Rhode Island....more
Part 3 of a Series on the Three Most Frequently Asked Questions Following the FTC’s Final Noncompete Rule - This is the final installment of our three-part series discussing employers’ most frequently asked questions in...more
6/28/2024
/ Asset Protection ,
Confidential Information ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Trade Secrets
Part 2 of a Series on the Three Most Frequently Asked Questions Following the FTC’s Final Noncompete Rule - This is the second installment of our three-part blog series that is intended to respond to employers’ three most...more
Part 1: How Should Employers Handle Current Noncompete Disputes with Departing Employees? This three-part blog series is intended to identify and respond to three of the most frequently posed questions by employers in...more
We recently reported on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) 3-2 vote to issue its final noncompete rule that, unless it is enjoined, would ban all new noncompetes and a majority of existing noncompetes (the Noncompete...more
4/26/2024
/ Chamber of Commerce ,
Competition ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
As expected, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 yesterday to issue its final noncompete rule, with only a few changes from the proposed rule that are discussed below. Unless it is enjoined, which we expect, the rule...more
4/24/2024
/ Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants
On March 29, 2024, Maine Governor Janet T. Mills vetoed a bill that would have banned all employee noncompete agreements in the State of Maine. Both chambers of the Maine legislature passed L.D. 1496, An Act to Prohibit...more
This week, in our special Spilling Secrets podcast series on the future of non-compete and trade secrets law, we take a deeper look at trade secrets and non-compete cases in the wide world of sports:
As college basketball...more