4 Key Takeaways | Trade Secret Update 2024 Legal Developments and Trends
Ed. Note: This is the fourth in a series of articles taken from Gavin Parsons' CLE presentation for the North Carolina Bar Association's Antitrust and Complex Business Dispute CLE Program presented on Thursday, January 30,...more
Singapore-based XP Power has been ordered to pay $17 million in attorneys’ fees to opponent Comet Technologies, USA, following Comet’s victory at trial. The Northern District of California issued the order in January 2025,...more
Examining the issue of trade secret misappropriation when parties have contractually limited their liability from breach, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed the district court’s dismissal of the case,...more
On April 4, 2025, the Eleventh Circuit reversed the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama’s ruling dismissing Alabama Aircraft Industries’ (“AAI”) trade secret misappropriation claim against Boeing, thereby...more
A recent lawsuit in Texas highlights the challenges social media influencers face in protecting their intellectual property. Sydney Nicole Gifford, a well-known influencer, claims that Alyssa Sheil copied her “vibe,” –...more
In a trade secret misappropriation action, a complainant is required to prove the amount of its damages with reasonable certainty and that this amount has been caused by the misappropriation. Therefore, the trade secret...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
In the ever-evolving landscape of intellectual property law, trade secrets have emerged as a crucial area of focus, particularly in light of recent uncertainties as to the enforceability of non-competes. Since August 2023,...more
The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit largely affirmed a multimillion-dollar award against a temp agency for misappropriation of trade secrets and unjust enrichment due to its employee’s act of obtaining proprietary...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
This is the second of two updates on the impact of Motorola Solutions, Inc. v. Hytera Communications Corp. Ltd., No. 22-2370, ___ F.4th ___ (7th Cir. 2024) on trade secret cases. The first update focused on the...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed a district court’s dismissal of an unjust enrichment claim, finding that unjust enrichment claims do not necessarily rise or fall with trade secret misappropriation...more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied a trade secret owner's petition for certiorari in Trizetto Group, Inc. v. Syntel Sterling Best Shores Mauritius Limited. This leaves unresolved a question of when a wrongdoer's avoided...more
A federal court in Pennsylvania granted in part and denied in part a former franchisee’s motion to dismiss a franchisor’s allegation that she misappropriated trade secrets and breached the franchise agreement. JTH Tax, LLC v....more
A Massachusetts federal court, applying Massachusetts law, has held that the allocation of legal fees between two corporations is determined based on what reasonably would have been negotiated had each party in the joint...more
The New York Knicks just sued their former employee and his new employer, the Toronto Raptors, in a case that can teach employers a lot about trade secret misappropriation. The August 21 lawsuit accuses their Eastern...more
At the beginning of the pandemic, concerns were raised that trade secret misappropriation might take a new form. Indeed, with large swaths of the workforce working from home, spouses, roommates, or others living in the same...more
An employee trading places among industry competitors allegedly provided his new employer with bidding and pricing information so critical that the receiving company’s CEO thought it was a “gold mine” it could use “to...more
On May 25, 2023, the Second Circuit issued an opinion in Syntel Sterling Best Shores Mauritius Ltd. v. TriZetto Group, Inc., No. 21-1370 (2d Cir. 2023) that provides guidance regarding recoverable damages in trade secret...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld a jury verdict finding a dietary supplement company liable for misappropriating another company’s research and development (R&D) related to broccoli-seed extract. Caudill...more
Discovery Rule under UTSA New Technology Products v. Scotts Miracle-Gro., 3d Dist. Union No. 2022-Ohio-3780. In this appeal, the Third Appellate District affirmed the trial court’s decision to grant summary judgment to...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed a district court’s finding of damages in a trade secrets case under Pennsylvania’s version of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. The Third Circuit explained that it is...more
The legal concept of “conflicts of laws” is difficult, to say the least, confounding even seasoned litigators and judges, with bulky treatises and entire law school classes devoted to the subject....more