05242013A blue-ribbon panel issued a report on Wednesday focusing on trade secret theft by China and urging a number of executive and legislative reforms, including enactment of a federal trade secrets statute and providing American companies with some limited right to “hack back” against those that launch cyberattacks against them.  The report has already generated a fair amount of media coverage and is sure to spark further debate on what to do about international trade secret theft and cyberattacks (for more on the report, see this Op-Ed piece in The Washington Post, as well as these articles in Forbes, the BBC and PCWorld). 

The Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property by The National Bureau of Asian Research (that’s a mouthful) assembled the report.  The panel that authored the report includes high profile figures such as the former Ambassador to China (Jon M. Huntsman, Jr.), the former Chairman and CEO of Intel Corporation (Craig R. Barrett), the former Director of National Intelligence and Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command (Retired Admiral Dennis C. Blair), and former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton from Washington state.

The Reasons for the Report:  For those that have been following these issues, the report relies on many of the statistics and developments that are by now considered to be conventional wisdom or accepted as true:  $300 billion estimated annual losses due to foreign trade secret and cybertheft, drag on U.S. GDP growth, American job losses, and corrosion of the incentives to innovate, among others.

However, unlike other reports and commissions, this one unambiguously singles out China “as the world’s largest source of IP theft” and quotes estimates that “China’s share of international IP theft” is “roughly 70%.”  In this respect, the Commission differs substantially from other high profile reports — most notably, the Obama Administration’s Trade Secrets Initiative launched last February, which elected not to single out China (although that initiative did detail incident after incident of theft involving a China connection).

The report also addresses what it believes to be the root causes of this serious international problem, as well as the role of the Chinese government in allowing or promoting it.  It posits that “much of this theft stems from the undirected, uncoordinated actions of Chinese citizens and entities who see within a permissive domestic legal environment an opportunity to advance with their own commercial interests.  With rare penalties for offenders and large profits to be gained, Chinese businesses thrive on stolen technology.”  However, the report does note that role of the Chinese government in some of these efforts, citing the recent Verizon risk report that found that “‘state-affiliated actors’ accounted for 19% of the 621 successful ‘breaches’ in the 47,000 attacks reported.”

The Commission’s Notable Recommendations:  A number of short-term solutions are advocated to reorganize and finetune the federal executive branch’s focus and responsibility.  However, it is the “medium-term solutions” proposal that I thought was the most noteworthy, which is the section that advocates for legislative and legal reforms.

In my view, the most important legislative reform proposed in the report is the very first one — the call for an amendment to the Economic Espionage Act (EEA) to provide for a private right of action to allow companies and businesses to sue for the theft of their trade secrets (readers of this blog already know that I have supported this effort).  The report does not advocate a particular bill (such as the pending Protecting American Trade Secrets and Innovation Act) or particular remedy.  Rather, the report focuses on the practical reasons that require that legislation:  over-burdened federal prosecutors who lack the resources to pursue these actions under the EEA and the jurisdictional and evidentiary limitations of state court actions that may frustrate the ability of companies to protect their trade secrets overseas.

The Commission also recommends that the EEA be amended so that the Federal Circuit would serve as the Federal Court of Appeals for all federal trade secret actions, “since it serves as the appellate court for nearly all IP-related cases and thus has a high degree of competency on IP issues.”  This is a good suggestion and would provide uniformity and clarity on any new statute as well as for future prosecutions under the EEA.

Finally, the Commission advocates two noteworthy but controversial cyber proposals.  It supports the present Cyber Intelligence Sharing Protection Act (CISPA) that has passed the House of Representatives but faces opposition within the Senate and by the Obama Administration on privacy grounds.

The Commission also supports giving American companies the right to a some limited form of a “hack back” against foreign cyberattacks (for a fine and brief analysis of this provision, see the recent post of Steptoe’s Stewart Baker for The Volokh Conspiracy).  This would likely require an amendment to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), which as presently drafted, would expose American companies to civil claims or prosecution under the CFAA.  (For a debate on the merits of allowing a hack back amendment, see the exchange between Stewart Baker (in favor) and Professor Orin Kerr (against) in The Volokh Conspiracy).

For those with the time, I would recommend reading the report which has a host of other comprehensive proposals that should be strongly and seriously considered by the Administration and Congress.

Here are the noteworthy trade secret, non-compete and cybersecurity stories from the past week, as well as one or two that I missed over the past couple of weeks: Trade Secret and Non-Compete Posts and Articles:
  • A Pennsylvania Court of Appeals has rejected the two-prong test (objective test of speciousness and subjective test for bad faith) used by many federal courts for an award of attorneys fees for a bad faith trade secrets action under the Pennsylvania Uniform Trade Secrets Act reports Law360. In Kraft v. Downey, the Superior Court reversed a trial court’s dismissal of a claim for attorneys fees by the defendants, even though the plaintiffs prevailed at trial on other claims. (A hat tip to Mark Grace for forwarding the opinion to me).
  • Ericsonn and Airvana have reached an agreement in principle to settle their trade secrets case, Bloomberg is reporting. Airvana had secured a preliminary injunction in New York Supreme Court that had threatened to disrupt a $3 billion opportunity with Sprint and had resulted in Airvana’s claim that Ericsonn had violated the injunction. For more on the case and injunction, see my March post here.
  • For the latest involving the prosecution of Walter Liew for the alleged theft of DuPont’s titanium dioxide trade secrets, see “Feds Say Execs Can’t Ax DuPont Trade Secrets Charges,” as reported by Law360.
  • “Using Computer Forensics to Investigate IP Theft,” advise Sid Venkatasen and Elizabeth McBride for Law Technology News.
  • “Kentucky Court Finds No Insurance Coverage for Trade-Secrets Claim,” reports Eric Ostroff in his Trade Secrets Law Blog.
  • “Massachusetts Federal Court Takes Jurisdiction Over ‘One-Man’ Georgia Corporation Whose Agent Allegedly Stole Trade Secrets in Massachusetts,” reports Brian Bialas for Foley & Hoag’s Massachusetts Noncompete Law Blog.
  • “Recapping the Latest Blue Belt Tech. Non-Compete Dispute (This Time vs. Stryker),” summarizes Jonathan Pollard for the non-compete blog.
  • “Act On Clarifying Ownership of Work-Related Social Media Accounts Before You Become ‘Dinner,'” recommends Daniel Schwartz in his Connecticut Employment Law Blog.
  • If you are into podcasts, check out, “The Administration is Focused on Preventing Trade Secrets Misappropriation. Your Business Should Be, Too,” by Victoria Cundiff of Paul Hastings.
  • “Proposed Non-Compete Legislation in Connecticut Follows Legislative Trend” advises Kenneth Vanko in his Legal Developments in Non-Competition Blog.
  • If you are interested in more on the $44 million verdict in the Wellogix/Accenture dispute, check out “I Thought We Broke Up Years Ago! Why You Should “Throw Out” Trade Secrets As Soon As A Business Relationship Ends” by Matthew Kugazaki and Valerie Goo for Orrick’s Trade Secrets Watch and Eric Ostroff’s “A Cautionary Tale About Sharing Trade Secrets With Consultants — Fifth Circuit Affirms $44 Million Verdict.”
Cybersecurity Posts and Articles:
  • “California law would require breach notice if online account information is stolen,” reports Dan Kaplan for SC Magazine.
  • “Cyber Compliance: Hiring a Cybersecurity IT Firm for Rookies,” advises Christopher Matthews for The Wall Street Journal’s Risk & Compliance Reporter.
  • “Why CISPA is a global problem,” warns TechnoLlama.
  • “Data Breach – Your Organization Needs a Plan” recommends Nicole Reiman of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP for JDSupra.
  • “Corporate Security’s Weak Link: Click-Happy CEOs: Top Bosses, Exempt From Companywide Rules, Are More Likely to Take Cyber-Attackers’ Bait,” reports The Wall Street Journal. For more on Spearphishing (or attacks geared towards senior executives better known as whaling, see my post here).
  • “GSA, DOD Solicit Advice On Revamping Cybersecurity,” advises Kathryn Brenzel for Law360.
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Posts and Cases:
  • “Applying Georgia Long-Arm Statute, Eleventh Circuit Finds No Personal Jurisdiction Based on Internet Activity” in a CFAA dispute, courtesy of Colin Freer for Berman Fink Van Horn’s Georgia Non-Compete and Trade Secret News Blog.

05192013In the course of preparing the Mid-Year Review for Trade Secrets law for the AIPLA’s Spring Meeting, I had an opportunity to step back and evaluate what is really going on from a legal standpoint in the burgeoning area of cybersecurity. And while cybersecurity is exploding from an IT and data management standpoint, the law remains in its infancy. Why is that? 

The Absence of Clear Cybersecurity Legal Standards: Gibson Dunn issued a white paper entitled “Cyber-security and Data Privacy Outlook and Review: 2013” in early May and I thought it would be a good resource as I prepared the “Cybersecurity Law” portion for my presentation (it proved to be, by the way, and I would recommend it as a resource). 

While the report was very comprehensive, what was revealing to me was the absence of any true over-arching cybersecurity law or standard. Rather, the report detailed developments in related statutes and areas — the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act, HIPAA, state and federal privacy statutes, the standards in class actions over data breaches, etc. — but it could not identify any defining rules or guidelines for what, if any, legal standards surrounding the security for data and information. That is because they don’t exist.

So the question arises, in a nation known for its ability to legislate over anything and everything, why is there no federal or state laws regarding cybersecurity, an issue that is so dominating the national and business dialogue? I think there are four primary reasons for the absence of that legal standard. 

First, the government cannot reach a consensus or does not fully understand the problem. Congress and the Obama Administration continue to bicker over what standards and carve outs for liability should be in place so that companies have the confidence to partner with the federal government to disclose cyber risks. The inability to trust anyone to properly manage or safeguard this information — public or private — compounds the problem. Some might argue that this is a good thing, that the less of a role that the government has, the better; however, once the financial consequences of these breaches become apparent, the need for some legal standard will arise.

Second, this is really a phenomena that emerged in the public eye last year. There is always a natural lag between the emergence of a problem and the ability to meaningfully evaluate that problem and arrive at a satisfactory compromise that can be reflected in legislation or judicial opinions.

Third, except in a few instances (to be discussed in my next post), the losses associated with a cyberbreach have not become apparent yet. Until a plaintiff can come forward with concrete proof of tangible loss against a defendant against whom recovery is likely, the perceived need for a cybersecurity standard will not be an urgent one worthy of judicial or legislative attention.

Finally, development of a standard is complicated by the fact that cybersecurity is inherently an issue of technology and highly involved technology at that. Very few of us fully understand the intricacies involved in transmitting, storing and securing information, particularly as those processes evolve so quickly. And frankly the IT community has contributed to the confusion by failing (or perhaps even refusing) to adopt and communicate in a vernacular more accessible to the public at large.  

So Where are We Headed?  In my next post, I will discuss recent efforts by the federal government to impose standards in this vacuum as well as those few legal cases that have begun to emerge in this area.

Kenneth Vanko, Russell Beck and I have completed our eighth Fairly Competing Podcast, “Has the Time Come for a Federal Trade Secrets Statute?” 

In Episode 8, Russell, Ken and I discuss the need for a federal statute for civil claims of trade secret theft.  The Fairly Competing team discusses the proposed Protecting American Trade Secrets and Innovation Act (PATSIA), which would amend the Economic Espionage Act to allow private parties to sue for the theft of their trade secrets.  We also talk about whether the proposed statute should be modified and confined to instances of international trade secret misappropriation and whether the ex parte seizure order under the statute should exist in its present form.

You can listen to the podcast by going to the Fairly Competing website or clicking the link below. Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.  (As always, we’d appreciate your feedback).

If you are looking for more on the proposed federal legislation, see our posts here, here, here and here.

Our next podcast will address the recent conviction of David Nosal, the former Korn/Ferry International executive, under the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act.

Listen to the episode here.

In an important decision issued on Wednesday, a Massachusetts federal court has found that the absence of proof of actual use of the trade secrets was not fatal to claims brought by Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) against four of its former employees.  In AMD, Inc. v. Feldstein, Judge Timothy S. Hillman found that evidence that several of the employees downloaded and transferred significant data, coupled with other facts, was sufficient circumstantial evidence of misappropriation to justify an injunction.  (A PDF of the court’s decision can be found below).

This decision cuts against other recent cases holding that a trade secret claimant must come forward with evidence of actual misappropriation to make its claim.  I have detailed the forensic analysis below, because it was critical in making the circumstantial case that trade secrets were taken and likely being used, and rendered the versions presented by the employees implausible.

Background:  AMD brought this case in January 2013 against former employees Robert Feldstein, Manoo Desai, Nicolas Kociuk and Richard Hagan, each of whom had each left AMD to join a competitor, Nvidia.  AMD secured a temporary restraining on the strength of non-disclosure and non-solicitation clauses in the employees’ Business Protection Agreements that they had signed as a condition of employment with AMD and had moved for a preliminary injunction formalizing that TRO.

Feldstein, the most senior of the employees, was the first to leave and just before resigning in July 2012, he took a sabbatical during which time 8,148 files were copied from AMD’s intranet via Feldstein’s AMD-issued laptop.  The files included a Gmail contacts file, a Microsoft Outlook inbox file and several business-strategy-related documents.  He also downloaded a Technology Licensing Overview PowerPoint presentation that he later conceded was “problematic.”

Desai, a Senior Manager, joined Nvidia in December 2012 and forensic analysis showed that 7,899 documents were transferred from her AMD-issued laptop to a folder located on the external hard drive.  The night before she left AMD, her husband downloaded all of these files at her request because she wanted to preserve “her personal files, including family photos, personal emails and tax information” and she claimed that she “instructed him not to take any confidential AMD information.”  Desai accessed this information on her Nvidia-issued laptop later, but claimed she was searching for personal information.  She obviously never returned the information.

Kociuk reported to Desai and was part of her integration team.  Forensic analysis revealed that his user account was used to assist Desai in copying or transferring very large file systems for subsequent use (he said this was done only to help her erase her personal data from AMD).  He admitted he used a utility application, Robocopy, to create duplicate images of the entire file structure of his two AMD-issued computers.  More than — wait, let me lift my pinkie to my lips — one million files were copied onto a pair of external hard drives.  Kociuk claimed that he did this to preserve copies of personal information and data.  He left to join Nvidia on January 11, 2012, the event that triggered the lawsuit and TRO.  After downloading the files, Kociuk signed an acknowledgement that he was not retaining any of AMD’s confidential information.

In addition, AMD presented evidence of some solicitation of then-current AMD employees by Feldstein, Desai and Hagan.  None would admit that the conversations were actual solicitations but it appeared from emails and text messages that some informal solicitation may have taken place.

The District Court’s Reasoning:  Judge Hillman addressed the split in authority in Massachusetts over whether acquisition of trade secrets by improper means is sufficient to establish misappropriation or whether, alternatively, a plaintiff is required to prove actual use above and beyond acquisition by improper means.  He did not address the pros and cons of each line of cases, but instead, he simply elected to go with the line of cases permitting acquisition by improper means. 

Judge Hillman recounted the forensic evidence outlined above and found that it was “compelling.”  He noted that all of the former employees made copies of confidential information of AMD, retained that information, and immediately began working for significant competitor.  He noted that Feldstein in particular had access to extremely sensitive business strategy and licensing agreement information which he acknowledged was “problematic.”

This circumstantial evidence, in the court’s view, destroyed the credibility of the alternative explanations offered by the employees as well as their other testimony that they did not intend to misappropriate the trade secrets or that they could not possibly use that knowledge to benefit Nvidia in their current position.

The Takeaways:  From the employee side, what were these people thinking?  Kociuk’s decision to copy one million files destroyed the believability of the employees’ protestations of misappropriation.  The strength of the forensic evidence also spilled over into the issue of whether improper solicitations occurred, because the ambiguous signals and communications at issue there suddenly took on more sinister overtones against the backdrop of the massive downloading of these and other files.

On the employer’s side, forensic evidence saved the day here and was used to build a compelling story.  Although there was no evidence of actual use of the trade secrets, the sheer amount of data transferred, the suspicious timing of the downloading and the timing of the employees’ departures to the same competitor led the court to conclude that these employees were likely already using or likely to use these trade secrets in the future. 

As I noted at the outset, several courts have recently required parties to come forward with actual proof of misappropriation (a decision out of Georgia imposing this standard can be found here).  This new standard, in my view, is incorrect and difficult, if not impossible, to meet.  Evidence of the proverbial “smoking gun” rarely exists and it is unrealistic to expect a tortfeasor to fall to his or her knees and admit “I did it!”  To the contrary, in the crucible of litigation, one can reasonably expect the tortfeasor’s story to harden now that he or she is confronted with tne consequences of his/her actions.  Trade secret claims, like claims for fraud or unfair competition, are inherently based upon some degree of deceit and as a result, by their very nature, often can only be proven by circumstantial evidence.

Judge Hillman did not identify the particulars of the injunctive relief he was going to enter in the case, so I will keep you updated when he ultimately does issue that injunction.

AMD v Feldstein et al _Opinion .pdf (135.06 kb)

Here are the noteworthy trade secret, non-compete and cybersecurity stories from the past week, as well as one or two that I missed over the past couple of weeks: Trade Secret and Non-Compete Posts and Articles:
  • Bloomberg has received withering criticism for allowing the presumably confidential information of its customers to be viewed (and most likely used) by its reporters. Last week, Bloomberg said it had now restricted its journalists from accessing information about terminal subscribers, including when they last logged on, when they subscribed and how often they accessed features like news or the chat function. CNBC, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal all have comprehensive articles on the scandal. Bloomberg’s troubles underscore the challenges of maintaining ethical screens and walls between business units who have potentially divergent interests over confidential information. 
  • “Credit Suisse says ex VP stole trade secrets in move to Goldman,” reports Reuters. 
  • “5th Circ. Affirms $44M Wellogix Jury Award In Trade Secret Spat,” reports Law360.
  • “Trade Secret ‘Watch List’: Bill Would Establish Monitoring List of Countries Engaging in Cybertheft, and Make U.S. Intelligence Czar the Point Person,” reports Robert Isaackson for Orrick’s Trade Secrets Watch.
  • “New Massachusetts Superior Court Noncompete Decision Discusses the ‘Material Change’ Defense and Shows the Benefit to Employers of Having a ‘Material Change’ Clause in Noncompete Agreements,” advises Brian Bialas for Foley & Hoag’s Massachusetts Noncompete Law Blog.
  • Josh Durham reports on the latest non-compete involving a doctor, “NC Court of Appeals Orders Injunction In OB-GYN Covenant Not To Compete Case,” for Poyner Spruill’s Under Lock & Key Blog.
  • And while we are talking about physician non-competes, the recent $39 million “Tuomey verdict could make hospitals more cautious in doctor contracts,” advises Adam Kerlin for Reuters.
  • “Florida Court Discusses Trade Secrets in Discovery,” reports Solomon Genet for the Trade Secrets Law Blog.
  • “Show Me the Money – Injunctions are Not Cheap,” warns Rob Radcliff in his Smooth Transitions Blog.
  • “You Can’t Reverse Blue-Pencil a Non-Compete,” advises Kenneth Vanko in his Legal Developments in Non-Competition Agreements Blog.
  • “Trade Secrets Law Still Murky in Georgia Courts,” reports Alyson Palmer for Corporate Counsel.
  • Fracking and trade secrets remain a combustible combination, as Law 360 reports that, “Enviros Must Show Need To Get Trade Secret Docs: Pa. Court.”
  • For an excellent summary of the key points of the new Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act, see, “Texas Trade Secrets Law Gets Business-Friendly Upgrade,” by Jesse Davis for Law360.
  • A recent study finds that over 90% of innovative products are never patented, reports Eric Ostroff in a recent post for his Trade Secrets Law Blog. According to Eric, the study looked at the “R&D 100 Awards” to reach its conclusions. The results of this study of course reinforce the importance of making sure your trade secret protections are adequate.
  • Attention eBay shoppers: “Coca Cola’s secret formula for sale for 15 million dollars,” reports DailyBhaskar.com
Cybersecurity Posts and Articles:
  • The theft of nearly $45 billion was from New York banks by cyberthieves was widely reported in the past week. For an analysis of the legal fallout, see, “Lessons From the New York ATM Heist,” by Jason Weinsten for Steptoe’s Cyberblog.
  • “Legal Showdown on Cybersecurity: Hotelier Wyndham Challenges FTC’s Authority to Police Corporate Data Practices,” reports The Wall Street Journal.
  • “Cyberattacks Against U.S. Corporations Are on the Rise,” reports The New York Times.
  • “‘Bring Your Own Device’ is Evolving from a Trend to a Requirement,” advises Arik Hesseldahl for All Things Digital. 
  • “Hacking back: Digital revenge is sweet but risky,” advises Melissa Riofrio for PCWorld.  
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Posts and Cases:
  • “No Damages? Illinois Federal Court Tosses Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Claim Alleging Hacking of Law Firm Network,” reports Paul Freehling for Seyfarth Shaw’s Trading Secrets Blog.
  • “Should Lying About Your Age Online Be a Federal Crime?” asks Peter Torren in an article for Corporate Counsel.

Kenneth Vanko, Russell Beck and I have completed our seventh Fairly Competing Podcast, “Trade Secrets, Whistleblowers and The First Amendment.” 

In Episode 7, the Fairly Competing Team discusses the unique problems posed by trade secrets suits against so-called whistleblowers and assesses the realities of litigation involving whistleblowers, First Amendment concerns, and state SLAPP laws that may come into play in whistleblower litigation. We also talk about a recent case involving Anheuser-Busch where trade secrets law intersects with an alleged whistleblower’s claim of First Amendment protection.

You can listen to the podcast by visiting the Fairly Competing website, clicking the link below, or subscribing to the podcast on iTunes. (We’d appreciate your feedback).

If you are looking for more on this topic (one that is near and dear to my heart), please see my earlier posts here, here and here.

Our next podcast will address our respective thoughts about recent efforts to enact a federal trade secrets statute, including the proposed Protecting American Trade Secrets and Innovation Act.

Listen to this Episode.

Here are the noteworthy trade secret, non-compete and cybersecurity stories from the past week, as well as one or two that I missed over the past couple of weeks: Cybersecurity Posts and Articles:
  • Well, it’s official: “U.S. Blames China’s Military Directly for Cyberattacks,” reports The New York Times. Also see “PENTAGON: Chinese Hackers Have Stolen Data From ‘Almost Every Major U.S. Defense Contractor,'” asserts The Business Insider, “Pentagon report says U.S. computer hacking ‘appears to be attributable’ to Chinese government,” reports The Verge and “U.S. Says China’s Government, Military Used Cyberespionage,” reports The Wall Street Journal.
  • “A cybersecurity primer for legal departments: Understanding the basic terms and concepts needed to protect your company from cyber attacks” by David Lim for Inside Counsel.
Trade Secret and Non-Compete Posts and Articles:
  • Less than two months after its introduction, Texas has adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act effective Sept. 1, 2013, reports Orrick’s Trade Secrets Watch Blog. It appears that the version adopted is similar to that proposed by Dallas State Senator John Carona and will include a presumption in favor of granting protective orders to protect trade secrets in litigation, including limiting access to confidential information to attorneys and their experts. (For more on the proposed statute, see my post earlier this year as well as Robert Milligan’s recent post).
  • Connecticut is joining the list of states tinkering with their non-compete laws, advises Daniel Schwartz in his Connecticut Employment Law Blog.  In “Bill Targets Non-Compete Agreements But Would Also Create New Cause of Action,” Daniel reports that the bill allows “reasonable” non-competes but would permit an aggrieved employee the right to sue if the non-compete was unreasonable or the employee was not provided with at least 10 days to consider the non-compete before signing it.
  • “Chinese Couple Sentenced to 3 Years and 1 Year for Theft of GM Hybrid Technology,” advises Todd Sullivan in his Trade Secrets Blog.
  • And in another prosecution, “Ex-Frontier Chemist Dodges Prison For Disclosing Recipes,” as Law360 reports that the U.S. District Court for Utah sentenced Prabhu Prasad Mohapatra to time served — three days — and ordered him to pay $3,435 in restitution.
  • “Georgia Supreme Court Rejects Independent Claim for Inevitable Disclosure of Trade Secrets,” reports Eric Ostroff in his Trade Secrets Law Blog.  Kenneth Vanko has a post on the case as well in his Legal Developoments in Non-Competition Agreements Blog.
  • Eric Ostroff also has a fine post entitled “Five Ways to Protect Trade Secrets When an Employee Departs.”  If you have not bookmarked Eric’s blog, you should as he is churning out very good content regularly.
  • Those in Pennsylvania should be aware of a decision out of the U.S. Eastern District of Pennsylvania reports the Employee Discrimination Reporter. In De Lage Landen v. Thomasian, the District Court refused to enforce a non-compete despite proof that the former employee had breached a non-solicitation provision by approaching a former colleague. The court reasoned that the parties were not sufficient competitors, there was no showing of future harm, money damages were available, and therefore no irreparable harm was present.
  • “Fracking and Trade Secrets: An Introduction,” advises Kenneth Vanko in his Legal Developoments in Non-Competition Agreements Blog.
  • “Fisher/Unitech (Basically) Loses Non-Compete Fight Against Former Sales Exec,” advises Jonathan Pollard for the non-compete blog.
  • “Doctor Non-Solicitation Agreement Not Supported By Legitimate Business Interest,” reports Zach Jackson for Epstein Becker’s Trade Secrets & Noncompete Blog.
  • “Employers Slow To Guard Data Amid Social Media, Tech Boom,” bemoans Erin Coe for Law360.
  • “Data Security Policies and Procedures Still Lacking,” warns Catherine Dunn for Corporate Counsel.
  • In “Unleashing job hoppers could give economy a bounce,” Reynolds Holdings posits in an article for Reuters that releasing unemployed workers from their non-competes might help the economy.
  • “China Non-Competes. The Basics Have Become Clearer,” advises Dan Harris in his China Law Blog.
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Posts and Cases:
  • “California Federal Court Dismisses Computer Fraud and State Unfair Competition Claims Alleged Against Ex-Employees Accused Of Stealing Computer Source Code,” reports Paul Freehling for Seyfarth Shaw’s Trading Secrets Blog.
  • “Programmer Arrested For Cyberattack On Ex-Employer,” reports Law360.
  • “Use a Software Bug to Win Video Poker? That’s a Federal Hacking Case,” proclaims Kevin Paulson for Wired.
  • “Who’s at Fault for the CFAA Mess? Blame Congress,” sighs Brian Bialas for Foley & Hoag’s Massachusetts Noncompete Law Blog. Sounds good to me.

Following up on yesterday’s post, I would like to detail the terrific Trade Secret Law Committee Meeting we had on Thursday with Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (AUSTR) Stanford McCoy. AUSTR McCoy had spoken earlier in the day on a panel about protecting intellectual property through foreign trade agreements and emphasized how trade secrets had emerged from an “obscure” issue to a “big priority” within the Administration. Afterwards, I approached him in the hope that he might join our Committee meeting; he told me he would have liked to but he was committed to another meeting while in Seattle.

Peter Toren’s Presentation on the Obama Trade Secret Initiative and Strategy

At the Committee Meeting, Peter Toren provided a summary of the Obama Trade Secret Strategy announced on February 20, 2013 and shared his concerns that the Administration presently lacked the resources to prosecute trade secret theft under the Economic Espionage Act (EEA). He provided some sobering statistics that showed that there had been only 127 prosecutions under the EEA since its inception in 1996, and that with the exception of the Northern District of California, the majority of U.S. Attorney’s offices had not been vigorously pursuing those prosecutions (for example, less than 45% had prosecuted a single EEA case).

Peter emphasized that while the Obama Administration’s action items certainly represented a step in the right direction, its success would depend on whether the government actually followed through with the proposed action. Moreover, Peter noted that even if the Administration implemented the programs and increased protection of trade secrets, it could only do so much in this era of government cutbacks, a fact evidenced by his statistics on the EEA. Peter ultimately concluded that businesses must do more to protect their trade secrets. A copy of Peter’s blog post on the presentation and his PowerPoint can be found here.

The Panel Discussion and AUSTR McCoy’s Surprise Visit
 
After Peter’s presentation, I moderated a panel discussion with Peter, Dan Westman of Morrison & Foerster, John Durham of Poyner Spruills, and Seth Hudson of Clements Bernard regarding our thoughts over the recent Obama initiative. The concensus was that it was a welcome step but that a private right of action was needed. 
 
About mid-way through the panel discussion, AUSTR McCoy joined us unexpectedly. He participated in the discussion and after listening to our initial comments, he advised that he appreciated our comments but indicated that the administration needed to hear from the Committee more often. He said the administration would like to have had our input on recent requests for input on Section 301 proceedings and he asked that we work with Victoria Espinel, the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) to provide comments to legislation affecting trade secrets.
 
Dan Westman then spoke, emphasizing that there was a serious need for a civil remedy under the EEA. Dan said it was his understanding that the Administration might be privy to even more about China’s role in the cyberattacks and trade secret theft than had been reported or suspected in recent months.  For this reason, Dan noted that the time was right, especially given the fact that leading IP associations like the AIPLA and IPO had supported the civil remedy in their public comments. AUSTR McCoy indicated that he obviously could not comment other than to note that the Administration was obviously very concerned and that trade secret theft was now a big issue for the Administration.

Consistent with his presentation, Peter echoed that the Justice Department simply did not have the resources or the manpower to pursue the trade secret claims that were out there and that a private right of action would be the most effective way to ensure that American trade secrets were protected. I of course eventually chimed in and noted that in my experience, foreign companies were not enamored with American litigation and discovery. I said that arming American companies and their attorneys with a private right of action would allow the Administration to unleash the proverbial army of private attorney generals to enforce American trade secret laws much to the chagrin of those foreign companies who so loathe and fear the American court system.
 
In terms of a timetable on the public comments, AUSTR McCoy said the IPEC was reviewing the public comments (13 of which were filed by the April 22 deadline), would circulate her thoughts to relevant constituencies within the Administration (with special emphasis with the Justice Department) and make a recommendation regarding the legislative proposals.

It was a marvelous and fun discussion. Members of the Committee that were present were active participants as well and asked questions not only of the panel but also AUSTR McCoy. We look forward to working with AUSTR McCoy and his office in the future.

05052013The American Intellectual Property Law Association’s (AIPLA) Spring Meeting in Seattle has wrapped up and I thought an update would be in order, especially of the Trade Secret Committee Meeting, in which we had an unexpected visit from Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (AUTR) Stanford K. McCoy. During that meeting, AUTR McCoy very patiently listened to the members of our panel vent and share their concerns that the Administration needed to engage the private sector by supporting enactment of a civil cause of action to the Economic Espionage Act. 

To do the meeting justice, I will divide it up into two posts with the summary of the Committee meeting to follow in my next post. Today, I’ll provide a summary of a genuinely entertaining afternoon session on the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act (CFAA) as well as fine presentations on litigating trade secrets before the International Trade Commission and an in-house perspective on protecting trade secrets overseas.

Computer Fraud & Abuse Act Debate (a/k/a “The Thrilla in Seattle”)

I had hoped that Professor Eric Goldman (whose Tech & Marketing Law Blog is a mainstay in the AmBlawg 100) and Morrison & Foerster’s Dan Westman’s program would turn into a spirited debate and it did not disappoint. (Before the battle, Eric warned me that he was not going to hold anything back; I told him I couldn’t wait). It evoked memories of the classic 60 Minutes debates between James Kilpatrick and Shana Alexander (or, better yet, the brilliant SNL spoof by Dan Akroyd and Jane Curtin). Josh Durham played the moderator role splendidly, playing Dan and Eric off against each other and letting it rip.

Dan opened with a discussion of the emerging Circuit Court split within the CFAA and emphasized the importance of retaining the broader interpretation of the CFAA espoused by the Fifth, Seventh and Eleventh Circuits. He emphasized the importance of having a federal remedy in the event that a state court might not hospitable to a particular claim or out-of-town client.

Eric came out swinging, challenging Dan on the problems with the CFAA, the fact that it was not drafted to address trade secrets and identified the problems with its overuse. Eric rejected the idea of “computer exceptionalism,” that the mere fact that a computer might be used to steal trade secrets should result in a criminal statute being created solely for that manner of stealing trade secrets. 

Dan survived the initial flurry, and counter-punched effectively by emphasizing that the advances of technology and mobility rendered the computer a “very scary” thing in the hands of the wrong employee.  He argued that the fact that the CFAA had both civil and criminal remedies had contributed to the present confusion, because courts would apply the rule of lenity (i.e., construe the CFAA’s language narrowly) in criminal cases but that those narrower holdings in criminal cases would then be used in later civil proceedings. Eric weathered Dan’s volleys, and emphasized that the CFAA remedy was something that Dan wanted, but not something that he truly needed. 

Like Rocky and Apollo Creed, the two exhausted panelists agreed there “ain’t gonna be no rematch.”  At the close, Dan tendered an olive branch, offering that his position for the CFAA in civil cases would be vitiated if the claim could be effectively moved into a federal trade secret statute where it would better fit. Eric magnanimously considered the proposal, noting that the Economic Espionage Act would be a better fit for the types of claims that Dan was seeking. A heart-warming hug followed and there was nary a dry eye in the room.

Extra-Territorial Protection of Trade Secrets and Mobile Employees

Jay H. Reiziss of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione spoke next and he addressed international trade secret misappropriation, focusing on remedies within the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Jay and his firm represented the American company Armsted, which prevailed in the Federal Circuit’s seminal opinion in TianRui Group v. FTC. In TianRui Group, the Federal Circuit held in 2011 that the FTC could issue rulings for disputes involving the misappropriation of trade secrets or other unfair competition that took place entirely overseas. (For more on the ruing, see my post here).

Jay discussed the uptick in trade secret cases before the FTC and also addressed the pros and cons of a FTC action, as compared to a traditional litigation. In fact, Jay described one very interesting advantage favoring a FTC proceeding — namely, the leverage Jay said that comes from an ITC proceeding to force a foreign firm to open its plant to inspection to see if an American company’s trade secrets have been incorporated or integrated into processes or equipment at that facility.

Jay noted that in traditional civil litigation, a party may find itself hamstrung by the limitations upon discovery imposed by the Hague Convention that could limit, interfere with or prevent the inspection of a foreign plant. However, he indicated that Administrative Law Judges have been persuaded to threaten to impose an adverse inference against a foreign company that refuses to allow such an inspection, which inevitably forces the foreign company to open their plant.

Paik Saber of IBM Corporation spoke next and began with some sobering statistics about employee mobility, an important factor in any trade secret protection program: U.S. employees change jobs on average every 4.6 years, and those between the ages of 25 to 34 change jobs every 3.2 years (these statistics come from the U.S. Census). For multi-national corporations, Paik said the turnover rate was 25% of the workforce. 

As a former IT manager, Paik emphasized that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, especially in emerging markets. Paik noted that there remained a lack of cultural appreciation for IP in those emerging markets and that because laws and enforcement procedures remained a concern in some of those markets, it was critical to have a strong trade secret protection program overseas.

Paik emphasized the importance of implementing traditional safeguards in overseas operations, such as written agreements, ongoing and thorough education, monitoring of employees’ use of confidential information, and notification of confidentiality policies. He emphasized the importance of clearly communicating a commitment to confidentiality and he shared an effective anecdote: at the start of each employee’s tenure, a foreign manager would send him or her a polite but direct letter clearly spelling out the importance of preserving the confidentiality of the company’s trade secrets. This letter, — firm, cordial and clear — was some times more effective to these employees than the perceived “legalese” accompanying any comprehensive policy or agreement drafted by an attorney.

Finally, Paik noted the importance of employee retention as part of a company’s program of protecting trade secrets. He noted the tremendous financial investments made by companies in their overseas employees. He cited lack of career growth and money as the two main reasons for losing employees and he identified Google and Zynga as examples of two companies that had minimized the loss of trade secrets beecause they effectively retained key employees.

Again, a special thanks to Seth Hudson for organizing a tremendous panel and presentation.