This publication summarizes noteworthy 2024 legal developments in trade secret law in key centers of commerce throughout the world. Understanding these legislative and judicial developments can help trade secret owners...more
The 2024 California legislative session saw the passage of a number of new and important labor and employment laws...more
1/23/2025
/ California ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Pay ,
Freelance Workers ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblowers ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence
During their last week in office, and over the vigorous dissent of Republican FTC commissioners, Biden administration antitrust officials unveil new guidelines intended to replace the 2016 Antitrust Guidance for Human...more
1/22/2025
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employees ,
Employment Contract ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Franchises ,
Independent Contractors ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants
California recently imposed new mandatory disclosure requirements related to social compliance audits....more
In the first known case to challenge California's legislative attempt to void noncompete agreements even for employees who do not live or work in California, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the application of...more
Recent federal and state regulations have restricted employers' use of noncompete agreements, which in part are designed to protect trade secrets. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's final rule, which broadly prohibits the...more
This week, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) voted 3-2 along party lines to finalize a rule that bans noncompete clauses in employment agreements as a per se illegal “unfair method of competition” (“UMC”) under Section 5...more
On January 5, 2023, President Biden signed the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act of 2022 (“PAIPA”) into law. PAIPA requires that the President submit an annual report identifying and describing any “significant...more
The 2023 California legislative session saw the passage of a number of new and important labor and employment laws....more
In Short -
The Background: In recent months, artificial intelligence ("AI") platforms have taken the world by storm, introducing new, powerful tools for generating original and useful content based on training data and user...more
6/12/2023
/ Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
EULA ,
Machine Learning ,
Popular ,
Third-Party ,
Trade Secrets
A Connecticut district court acquitted six defendants of criminal antitrust violations arising out of alleged employee no-poach agreements, marking the first dismissal of a U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division's...more
The recent shift to remote work has meant an increased vulnerability in trade secret protection. Jones Day Labor & Employment Partner Steve Zadravecz explains how updating policies, procedures, and software can make a...more
In early January 2023, the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") proposed an unprecedented rule banning most employer/employee non-compete clauses. As detailed below, the rule is not likely to take effect for at least eight...more
1/13/2023
/ Comment Period ,
Contract Terms ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Section 5 ,
Unfair Competition
The California Legislature passed a number of new and important labor and employment laws during its 2022 session.
...more
Case Overview -
On June 15, 2022, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana, No. 20-1573. The Court held that the rule from Iskanian v. CLS Transportation Los Angeles,...more
6/29/2022
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
California ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Iskanian v CLS Transportation ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Preemption ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
State Labor Laws ,
Viking River Cruises ,
Viking River Cruises Inc v Moriana
The California Supreme Court sides with employees in Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, finding derivative claims available for waiting time and pay stub penalties available for meal and rest break violations.
This...more
5/31/2022
/ Appeals ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Derivative Suit ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Code ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Rate of Pay ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Statements
The 2021 California legislative session saw the passage of a number of new labor and employment laws. Although many relate to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Legislature adopted more nonpandemic-related statutes this term as...more
12/9/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Quotas ,
Record Retention ,
Separation Agreement ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft
The California Supreme Court holds that "regular rate of compensation" used for calculating meal and rest period premiums is identical to "regular rate of pay" used for calculating overtime premiums, which includes hourly...more
7/20/2021
/ CA Supreme Court ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Regulations ,
Over-Time ,
Rate of Pay ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
The 2020 California legislative session led to a number of new laws that already have had significant impact on employers in the state. Employers were barraged with a combination of state and federal pandemic-related...more
Most trade secret misappropriation is the work of a company employee or former employee. Jones Day partners Andrea Weiss Jeffries, Steve Zadravecz, Rebecca Swindells, Dr. Christian Paul, and Jon Linas explain why strategic,...more
Jones Day partners Dr. Christian Paul, Steve Zadravecz, Thomas Bouvet, and Andrea Weiss Jeffries explain what companies that rely on business-critical trade secrets should understand about effectively litigating trade...more
The first year of Governor Gavin Newsom’s term produced many significant pieces of employment legislation in California, including most prominently one law limiting the use of independent contractors for most businesses and...more
2/10/2020
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
Independent Contractors ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
A trade secret is any information used in one's business that derives independent economic value from being kept secret. Unlike patents, trade secrets are protected indefinitely for as long as they remain a secret. Due in...more
12/31/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Employment Contract ,
Former Employee ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Judgment As A Matter Of Law ,
Misappropriation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Patents ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Popular ,
Remedies ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Trade Secrets ,
Uniform Trade Secrets Acts
California courts are known for the skepticism with which they approach post-employment restrictive covenants. Until recently, however, they have generally enforced covenants restricting individuals from soliciting their...more