A federal court, in a non-competition setting, had to untangle the relationship between three separate agreements. One contained an arbitration provision but the others did not. Ultimately, the court determined that some parties had to arbitrate some claims but that others did not have to arbitrate. Continue reading
In Fay v. Total Quality Logistics, LLC, the South Carolina Appellate Court determined that the confidentiality provision in an employment agreement was so broad that it needed to be reviewed under the standards applicable to non-competition agreements and, because it lacked a durational provision, held it unenforceable. Continue reading
The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (“DTSA”) provides a new tool in the form of an ex parte seizure for businesses and individuals to safeguard their trade secrets after misappropriation has occurred. Unfortunately, many trade secret owners have discovered that obtaining this form of relief is no easy task. Continue reading
Most severance agreements these days specify that nothing in the agreement prevents the employee from speaking with regulators about possible violations of the law. This is due to regulators’ concerns that the confidentiality clause that is standard in severance agreements may chill employee whistleblowing.
But what about other employment agreements that have confidentiality clauses?
Employees sign all sorts of agreements with confidentiality restrictions, ranging from offer letters to deferred compensation award agreements. Must these agreements also exempt whistleblowing from their confidentiality obligations?
Having flipped the calendar over to a new year, here’s a look back at some of the developments in trade secrets and restrictive covenants that shaped the law in 2016. Some major developments came not from the courts, but from the legislative and executive branches—both federal and state.
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What is up with the federal government’s new-found interest in non-competes and other legal issues that arise when employees move between competitors?
First the Treasury Department issued a report on the impact of non-compete agreements on the economy. Then Congress passed the Defense of Trade Secrets Act. And then, in May of this year, the White House issued its own report on non-compete agreements.
What do these federal initiatives mean? And how do these changes effect employers and employees? Continue reading
