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
*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
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
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
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
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
Don’t just sit by and watch in alarm as a former employee, contractor, or competitor poaches your clients. Texas law protects valuable trade secrets from misuse and misappropriation – including client lists. These protections...more
Earlier this month, plaintiff Bright Side, LLC dba Herbal Edibles, a manufacturer of cannabis edibles, filed a lawsuit in New Mexico state court to enforce a 3-year non-compete and enjoin the misappropriation of its trade...more
In This Issue - Section 230 and the Future of Content Moderation - We analyze Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—the 1996 law that provides a legal shield for internet providers from content created by their...more
When trade secret lawyers advise executives transitioning to a job with a competitor, they typically tell them to “take nothing with you” on the way out – meaning that no confidential, proprietary or trade secret information...more
Late last year, a California appellate court reaffirmed longstanding principles that have important lessons for employers hoping to prevent their employees from taking trade secrets with them if they leave to work for a...more
After a weeklong June trial, a Texas federal jury awarded Six Dimensions, Inc. (“Six Dimensions”), a digital marketing firm, $287,000 for its breach-of-contract claim against its former employee but rejected its behemoth $50...more
In In re Muhs, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit was called upon to decide whether “the meaning of ‘willful and malicious’ under Alaska law is identical to the meaning of ‘willful and malicious’ under...more
Addressing a bench trial decision concerning a former employee’s retention of confidential information and violation of a non-compete provision, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit found no abandonment of the...more
From sweeping legislation to unexpected case law, and everything in between, 2018 brought a lot of changes to unfair competition law....more
With the holidays behind us and our calendars flipped over to 2019, we’re taking a look back at some key trade secrets developments of the past year. ...more
On October 25, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts denied motions for injunctive relief in a case involving trade secrets allegedly stolen by a departing consultant using his personal computer to sync...more
In tandem with the Massachusetts Noncompetition Act, which reformed Massachusetts law governing non-compete agreements (described here in detail), Massachusetts has adopted its version of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (the...more
Over the last decade, non-compete reform has been a third rail of Massachusetts politics. Although many employers believe non-compete agreements are necessary to protect their trade secrets and confidential information,...more
After nearly a decade of debate, Massachusetts has passed comprehensive legislation limiting the use of noncompetition agreements. Last Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker officially signed “An Act Relative to the Enforcement of...more
The Massachusetts General Court has passed legislation that, if signed by the governor, will comprehensively reform the law governing employee noncompetition agreements and trade-secret misappropriation. If enacted, these...more