In trade secret misappropriation cases, the scope and sufficiency of the trade secret identification are central issues. And, once resolved, plaintiffs may allege new trade secrets thefts gleaned during fact discovery, which rekindles those issues. Recently, the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois closely scrutinized just such lately raised trade secrets in Motorola Solutions, Inc. v. Hytera Communications Corp. There, after two years in a “hard-fought, contentious case,” with just twelve days left…

New York has recently enacted disclosure laws that could impact clean product manufacturers’ ability to protect their trade secret chemical formulations. While California was the first U.S. state to pass a law requiring disclosure of all substances contained in cleaning products, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (“DEC”) Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program imposes stricter requirements than California on what must be disclosed. Both laws require manufactures of cleaning products to disclose all chemicals used…

In July 2018, U.S. District Judge James Patterson imposed a $59 million penalty against China’s largest wind-turbine firm, Sinovel Wind Group LLC (“Sinovel”), for stealing trade secrets from a Massachusetts-based technology company, American Superconductor Inc. (“AMSC”). This fine was imposed as restitution to the American company, AMSC, after Sinovel was found guilty of stealing trade secrets in federal criminal court in January 2018. At trial, the court found that AMSC’s losses from the theft exceeded…

On January 11, 2018, the Federal Circuit issued a game-changing decision that addressed the pitfalls of an entity’s attempt to secure the ownership of intellectual property rights through an employment agreement. The Court held that three different provisions that the employer argued effected an assignment of intellectual property rights were not sufficient to convey those rights to the employer. In Advanced Video Technologies, Inc. v. HTC Corporation, the employment agreement under review had three…

“Ex-DuPont Worker Wins Discovery Stay In Trade Secrets Suit,” an article published earlier today by Law360, cites Crowell & Moring Partner, Mike Songer, as DuPont’s counsel in E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. v. Anchi Hou et al., 1:17-cv-00224 (D. Del). The case involves both a civil proceeding and a related criminal case, and the different strategies available in discovery in these situations. Click here to read more about this trade secrets case, involving alleged…