Scott E. Atkinson

Connect: Read more about Scott E. Atkinson
Firm/Organization: Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Blogs: Trading Secrets

Latest Articles

As readers of this blog well know, there is a growing trend of state legislatures seeking to limit or outright ban non-competes. (See here, here, and here as just a few examples of state efforts to curb non-competes—not to mention the proposed federal legislation and international efforts—in the last six months.) Last week, the Washington Senate jumped on the bandwagon by passing a bill with a 30–18 vote that would severely limit…
In Seyfarth’s fourth installment in its 2018 Trade Secrets Webinar Series, Seyfarth attorneys Robert Milligan and Scott Atkinson, along with Center for Responsible Enterprise and Trade CEO Pamela Passman, focused on identifying the greatest threats to trade secrets, implementing an effective trade secret protection program, and enacting effective risk reduction processes across an organization. As a conclusion to this well-received webinar, we compiled a summary of takeaways: Building a culture of trade secret protection is…
In what appears to be a first under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”), a United States District Judge has thrown out claims against an alleged trade secret thief on the basis of the DTSA’s immunity for confidential disclosures to attorneys in the course of investigating a suspected violation of the law. Christian v. Lannett Co., Inc., No. 16-cv-00963-CDJ, 2018 WL 1532849 (E.D. Pa. Mar. 29, 2018). Certain Trade Secret Disclosures to Attorneys or the Government…
On Tuesday, October 10, 2017, the United States Supreme Court denied certiorari in Nosal v. United States, 16-1344. Nosal asked the Court to determine whether a person violates the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act’s prohibition of accessing a computer “without authorization” when using someone else’s credentials (with that other user’s permission) after the owner of the computer expressly revoked the first person’s own access rights. In denying certiorari, the Court effectively killed the petitioner’s legal challenge…
In a series of breakfast briefings, Seyfarth attorneys Robert Milligan, Joshua Salinas, and Scott Atkinson, joined by Jim Vaughn, one of California’s leading computer forensic experts, discussed how to navigate the tricky waters and provided best practices for trade secret protection. The briefings covered how to best identify and protect trade secrets, what employers need to know about the DTSA, the impact of new California Labor Code Section 925, how to catch a trade secret…
We are pleased to announce the webinar “Trade Secret Audits: You Can’t Protect What You Don’t Know You Have” is now available as a webinar recording. In Seyfarth’s ninth installment in the 2016 Trade Secrets Webinar Series, attorneys Robert Milligan, Eric Barton, and Scott Atkinson focused on trade secret audits. It is not uncommon for companies to find themselves in situations where important assets are overlooked or taken for granted. Yet, those same assets…
On Wednesday, November 16, at 12:00 p.m. Central, Seyfarth attorneys Robert B. Milligan, Daniel P. Hart and Scott E. Atkinson will present “Trade Secret Audits: You Can’t Protect What You Don’t Know You Have,” the tenth installment in Seyfarth’s 2016 Trade Secrets Webinar series. Trade secrets are critical intellectual property for most businesses, whether they realize it or not. The risk of trade secret theft to businesses has increased in recent years, with greater employee mobility…
Not exactly. A divided Ninth Circuit panel recently affirmed the conviction of a former employee under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (“CFAA”), holding that “[u]nequivocal revocation of computer access closes both the front door and the back door” to protected computers, and that using a password shared by an authorized system user to circumvent the revocation of the former employee’s access is a crime. United States v. Nosal, (“Nosal II”) Nos. 14-10037, 14-10275…
On May 30, 2012, the public comment period began for proposed regulations issued by thirteen New York State agencies (including the Department of Health, the Office of Mental Health, and the Office of Children and Family Services)  seeking to limit the executive compensation paid by, and administrative costs of, service providers that receive State funding.  The proposed regulations were drafted to implement Executive Order 38, issued by Governor Cuomo on…
Earlier this year, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed changes to the New York Public Health Law which would have given the Commissioner of the Department of Health the power to remove managers of hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centers, and adult care facilities.  The Commissioner would have also had the authority to appoint temporary members of the board of directors, and/or a temporary operator, of these facilities if the Commissioner deemed that there had been significant management…