Meritas Capability Webinar - California’s Prohibition Against Non-Compete Agreements (B&P Code § 16600), the Protection of Trade Secrets and the Practical Relationship Between the Two
Zynga May Shed Light on Its Own Practices in Going After Former Employee for Trade Secrets Theft
In California, although the prevailing rule is that each party in litigation must cover their own fees and costs, a litigant can be awarded reasonable attorney’s fees and costs if expressly permitted in a contract....more
On July 30, 2024, the Court of Appeals of Virginia overturned a two billion dollar (yes, billion with a ‘b’) jury verdict in the Appian v. Pegasystems trade secret lawsuit. Although the Court of Appeals upheld the verdict of...more
*As of August 20, 2024, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas has blocked the FTC's impending ban on non-compete agreements. Please see the update at the end of this alert. Trade secrets...more
Trade secrets exist, by definition, only if the owner takes reasonable measures to maintain their secrecy. This is true under the Federal, State and Uniform Trade Secret Acts. Companies have traditionally used...more
The Court of Appeals of Virginia vacated a $2 billion award in a trade secret misappropriation case based on a series of evidential errors and improper jury instructions. Pegasystems Inc. v. Appian Corporation, Case No....more
The Virginia Court of Appeals reversed a $2 billion jury award for trade secret misappropriation under the Virginia Uniform Trade Secrets Act (VUTSA). The appellate court found error in the jury instruction for unjust...more
A Fairfax County, Virginia, jury in May 2022 found that Pegasystems Inc. (Pegasystems) misappropriated trade secrets from its competitor, Appian Corp. (Appian), and awarded Appian more than $2 billion in damages – the largest...more
On January 26, 2023, Cigna Corp. (“Cigna”) sued CVS Health Corp. (“CVS”) and its newly hired chief product officer Amy Bricker (“Bricker”), in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, for allegedly...more
Arkansas has adopted the Model Uniform Trade Secrets Act with some modifications. We refer to this as the Arkansas Uniform Trade Secrets Act (“AUTSA”) and it can be found at Ark. Code Ann. § 4-75-601, et seq....more
Are certain claims prevented when bringing a trade secret claim? Yes. Generally speaking the Arkansas Uniform Trade Secrets Act (AUTSA) displaces conflicting tort, restitutionary, and other law concerning the misappropriation...more
Everyone is talking about the new rule approved by the Federal Trade Commission on April 23 (published on May 7 and set to take effect – pending legal challenges – on September 4, 2024 ). It is referred to as the...more
On April 22, the Federal Trade Commission issued its final “Non-Compete Clause Rule” which bans most non-competes in the United States. It will become effective 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register....more
How can you defend yourself if you are accused of misappropriation of trade secrets? This is a complex area of the law and there is no one-size-fits-all defense. Developing a strategy to successfully defend against a claim...more
What is the statute of limitations for a trade secrets claim? Three years. The Arkansas Uniform Trade Secrets Act explicitly provides that there is a three-year statute of limitations. The three-year time period begins to run...more
Who can be held accountable for misappropriation of Trade Secrets? The Arkansas Uniform Trade Secrets Act answers this question, explaining that the following may be liable for trade secret misappropriation: Individuals....more
What must you show to prove that someone misappropriated trade secrets? The Arkansas Uniform Trade Secrets Act provides that misappropriation of trade secrets can be shown in one or more of three ways: acquisition or physical...more
How do you protect trade secrets? You take reasonable efforts to maintain the secrecy of the information. As we have outlined in prior installments of this series, taking reasonable efforts to maintain secrecy is a key issue...more
Can you get a court to stop someone from sharing customer/client lists in Arkansas? As explained in this blog post, it depends. But often the question is debatable and hiring an attorney experienced in unfair competition...more
The Arkansas civil and criminal statutes referenced in our prior blog posts on the subject each have their own definition of what constitutes a trade secret. The applicable definitions are highlighted below....more
Has Arkansas adopted the Model Uniform Trade Secrets Act? Yes, but with modifications. We refer to this as the Arkansas Uniform Trade Secrets Act (“AUTSA”) and it can be found at Ark. Code Ann. § 4-75-601, et seq. S ome...more
Businesses are built through hard work and significant investment. One of the most significant investments, and thus greatest assets to a business, is the investment of time and resources in its people. Protecting that...more
The 2016 enactment of the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”) has led to an increase in trade secret litigation. The DTSA codified into federal law the right of an owner of a trade secret to sue in federal court when its trade...more
Enforceability of releases for unknown claims at the time of settlement is a well-established legal principle, as highlighted in the recent case, arrivia Inc. v. Rowley, No. CV-23-01039-PHX-DLR, 2023 WL 7386384 (D. Ariz. Nov....more
Last month, Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Vital”), the manufacturer of the Bang energy drink, fell short in its post-trial challenge to a “monster” jury award in favor of Monster Energy Company (“Monster”). ...more
Given the continued strength of the US alcoholic beverage market, the alcohol industry presents numerous opportunities for acquisitions, investments and other strategic transactions from a wide variety of players. These range...more