A recent opinion from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has stirred up a hornets’ nest of commentary because it appears to recognize the viability of the inevitable disclosure doctrine under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA).  Those familiar with the DTSA will recall that the inevitable disclosure doctrine was supposed to be prohibited under the DTSA because of California Senator Diane Feinstein’s concern that the doctrine might be enforced against California residents.  Now, in what appears to be the first federal appellate court opinion construing the DTSA, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit may have further muddied the waters about the inevitable disclosure doctrine in Fres-co Systems USA, Inc. v. Hawkins, Case No. 16-3591, ___ Fed. Appx. __ (3rd Cir. 2017), 2017 WL 2376568 (June 1, 2017) (a link to the opinion can found here).
Continue Reading Fres-co Systems v. Hawkins: Did The Third Circuit Just Create More Confusion Around The DTSA’s Ban On The Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine?

Michigan-2Legislative efforts to ban non-competes in Massachusetts and Minnesota have garnered lots of media attention over the past year or so, and now, a Michigan legislator has introduced a bill seeking a similar ban for Michigan’s companies and residents. Michigan House Bill 4198, introduced just over two weeks ago by State Representative Peter Lucido

Mitigating Your Trade Secret Risk When Hiring an Employee From a Competitor: The Trade Secret Litigator’s Five Golden Rules for On-Boarding A New Employee (Part II)
Continue Reading Mitigating Your Trade Secret Risk When Hiring an Employee From a Competitor: The Trade Secret Litigator’s Five Golden Rules for On-Boarding A New Employee (Part II)

Cloudy, with a Chance of Litigation: The Weather Channel’s Trade Secret Woes Illustrate The Challenges of Licensing Database Information
Continue Reading Cloudy, with a Chance of Litigation: The Weather Channel’s Trade Secret Woes Illustrate The Challenges of Licensing Database Information

Thursday Wrap-Up (July 4, 2013): Noteworthy Trade Secret, Covenant Not to Compete and Cybersecurity News from the Web
Continue Reading Thursday Wrap-Up (July 4, 2013): Noteworthy Trade Secret, Non-Compete and Cybersecurity News from the Web

Thursday Wrap-Up (June 13, 2013): Noteworthy Trade Secret, Non-Compete and Cybersecurity News from the Web
Continue Reading Thursday Wrap-Up (June 13, 2013): Noteworthy Trade Secret, Non-Compete and Cybersecurity News from the Web

AMD v. Feldstein: Massachusetts Federal Court Finds Misappropriation Does Not Require Proof of Actual Use of Trade Secrets
Continue Reading AMD v. Feldstein: Massachusetts Federal Court Finds Misappropriation Does Not Require Proof of Actual Use of Trade Secrets (Hint: What Should Happen When An Employee Downloads One Million Files Before Leaving)

Thursday Wrap-Up (January 24, 2013): Noteworthy Trade Secret, Non-Compete and Cybersecurity News from the Web
Continue Reading Thursday Wrap-Up (January 24, 2013): Noteworthy Trade Secret, Non-Compete and Cybersecurity News from the Web

Friday Wrap-Up (January 4, 2013): Noteworthy Trade Secret, Non-Compete and Cybersecurity News from the Web
Continue Reading Friday Wrap-Up (January 4, 2013): Noteworthy Trade Secret, Non-Compete and Cybersecurity News from the Web