On September 15, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a new section of the New York Labor Law limiting the assignment of inventions by employees to their employers. Specifically, Section 203-f of the Labor Law renders unenforceable provisions in employment agreements that require employees to assign certain inventions to their employer which
States
California Enacts Legislation to Support State’s Prohibitions on Employee Restrictive Covenants
On September 1, 2023, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 699, which buttresses current state law that voids contracts that restrain an employee from engaging in a lawful profession, trade, or business of any kind. California’s Business and Professions Code section 16600 states, “[E]very contract by which anyone is restrained from engaging in a…
D.C. City Council Blinks, Rolls Back Non-Compete Ban
Having initially enacted a total ban on non-compete agreements that went so far as to ban prohibitions against moonlighting with competitors, the District of Columbia City Council has significantly changed the law’s scope. Details of the amended D.C. “ban,” including how the act permits non-compete agreements for “highly compensated employees,” are laid out the article,…
Colorado Governor Signs Non-Compete Bill, Further Limiting Use of Agreements and Increasing Non-Compliance Penalties
Governor Jared Polis has now signed HB 22-1317, significantly limiting the enforceability of non-compete agreements executed after August 10, 2022 — the law’s effective date — for employers with employees working or living in Colorado. For details of, and a brief Q&A on, the new law, see the articles Colorado Poised to Further Limit…
New Jersey Legislature Continues Efforts to Significantly Limit Restrictive Covenants
On May 2, 2022, the New Jersey State Assembly introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 3715 that, if enacted, would significantly limit the use and enforceability of certain restrictive covenant provisions, while mandating additional procedural requirements. AB 3715 is similar to prior bills introduced in the New Jersey legislature in recent years, and part of the ongoing…
Illinois Governor Signs New Non-Compete Bill
The Illinois General Assembly passed a major bill in May that significantly alters how and when employers can use restrictive covenants with Illinois employees. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the bill into law on August 13, 2021, and it will go into effect January 1, 2022.
We provided details and analysis on the new law…
D.C. Budget Bill Includes April 1, 2022 Applicability Date for Non-Compete Ban
The District of Columbia passed one of the nation’s most stringent regulations on covenants not to compete earlier this year. Except in very limited circumstances, the law states employers may not require or request employees sign an agreement that includes a non-compete provision, and employers cannot have a workplace policy that prohibits an employee from…
New Georgia Decision Clarifies Scope of Computer Trespass Statute
Just as the United States Supreme Court recently limited the reach of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”) in Van Buren v. United States, the Georgia Supreme Court has now reined in the Georgia state law counterpart to the CFAA.
Background
In Kinslow v. State, No. S20G1001 (June 21, 2021), the…
New Nevada Law Further Regulates Restrictive Covenants
Important amendments to Nevada’s non-compete statute, NRS 613.195, recently were enacted when Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak signed into law Assembly Bill 47. Because A.B. 47 does not have a specified effective date, it will go into effect on October 1, 2021, pursuant to Nevada law.
Ban on Non-Competes for Hourly Employees
First, A.B. 47…
Illinois Passes Bill to Further Limit Restrictive Covenants for Employees
After extensive negotiations between interest groups representing both employees and businesses, the Illinois General Assembly passed a major bill on May 31, 2021, that further limits and clarifies the circumstances in which restrictive covenants can be enforced against Illinois employees. Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker is expected to sign the bill into law.
We provide…