The inevitable disclosure doctrine is a common law doctrine that has been used by some courts to prevent a former employee from working for a competitor, even in the absence of a non-compete, because the former employee’s new job duties would inevitably require him to rely upon, use or disclose his former employer’s trade secrets.
Trade Secrets
Texas Employers Gain Statutory Protection for Trade Secret Information
Texas has joined 47 other states and the District of Columbia in adopting the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. Jackson Lewis has posted an article on its website describing the new law which will go into effect on September 1, 2014. Now, only Massachusetts and New York have yet to pass some form of the Uniform…
Plaintiff in Dispute over LinkedIn Account gets “Zero” Damages
Plaintiff pro se Linda Eagle, the former president of banking education company Edcomm, Inc. ended up empty handed even though she prevailed on the merits of her claims of invasion of privacy by misappropriation of identity in her federal lawsuit filed over the alleged hijacking of her LinkedIn account by her former employer following the…
Another New York Federal Court Narrowly Construes the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
When an executive search firm bought the goodwill and other assets of a similar firm and learned that the individual sellers took client lists and diverted business in violation of their non-compete agreements, it terminated the sellers’ employment and sued them and other third-party defendants for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”) as…
Protecting Trade Secrets with a Mobile Workforce and Telecommuters
Regardless of where one stands philosophically on the merits of working from a physical office where greater collegiality can be fostered, versus working from home where personal efficiency and convenience can be maximized, the fact is that most companies have some employees who work from home, and nearly all companies have employees who work remotely…
Videotaping of Machine Permitted Over Trade Secrets Objection
A federal court in the Northern District of Mississippi has allowed a plaintiff in an employment law dispute to conduct an on-site inspection for purposes of videotaping the machine which he formerly operated in Morton v. Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., (N.D. Miss. Dec. 10, 2012). Morton, an amputee with a prosthetic leg, asserted that…
Court Orders Monitoring to Ensure Employee does not Breach Non-Compete
A U.S. District Judge in Connecticut recently issued an injunction against a former employee of Amphenol Corp and his new employer, TE Connectivity, Ltd, despite the lack of any evidence of competition in breach of his non-compete agreement. The decision in Amphenol v Paul, Civ. No. 3:12cv543 (D. Conn. Nov. 9, 2012), involved a…
Trade Secrets – Is Kevlar the New Coke?
Kevlar (R), a high-strength para-aramid fiber created by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and famously used in body armor for soldiers and police officers, is the subject of a recent criminal indictment by the U.S. Justice Department against Kolon Industries, Inc. and several of its executives. According to the October 18, 2012…