In an order filed January 8, 2021, the U.S. District Court judge overseeing the case cut Motorola’s $760 million jury award against competitor Hytera Corp. by over $200 million. Judge Charles Norgle of the Northern District of Illinois noted that
Trade Secret Tracker
THE LATEST UPDATES IN TRADE SECRET LAW
Trade Secret Tracker, published by Perkins Coie LLP, focuses on legal developments and issues related to trade secret law and protection. The blog covers topics such as trade secret misappropriation claims, the application and limits of doctrines like inevitable disclosure, enforcement of trade secret rights under statutes like the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), and the impact of licensing agreements on trade secret protection. It also addresses related matters including noncompete agreements, intellectual property disputes involving trade secrets, and litigation strategies. The blog provides updates on court decisions, regulatory proposals, and practical considerations for companies seeking to safeguard confidential business information.
Latest from Trade Secret Tracker - Page 3
InnerWorkings, Inc. v. Battaglia
Marketing agency InnerWorkings, Inc. filed suit under the Illinois Trade Secrets Act against a former sales executive who left the company for one of its direct competitors, HALO Branded Solutions. InnerWorkings does not allege that the former sales executive, Brian…
U.S. Court System Breached: Sealed Court Records at Risk
By John Gray
On January 6, 2021, we learned that federal courts’ nationwide case management system was breached as part of the SolarWinds hack, potentially giving hackers access to sealed court documents that may include trade secret information. The AP reports that a…
Videoconferencing Leads to Loss of Trade Secrets
By John Gray
Many of us have had to get used to videoconferencing. But that communication platform comes with its own challenges in protecting trade secrets. The Delaware Court of Chancery in Smash Franchise Partners, LLC v. Kanda Holdings, Inc. denied a preliminary…
The Supreme Court Weighs In: Does the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Apply When a Person Permitted to Access Computer Files Uses Them for a Prohibited Purpose?
By John Gray
On November 30, 2020, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Van Buren v. United States, which may resolve a circuit split on the extent to which the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) covers an employee’s…
Vermont-Based Soup Company Claims Mexican Supplier Stole Its Trade Secrets
A Vermont-based soup company sued its Mexican supplier in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, alleging that the supplier breached the parties’ contract and stole the soup company’s trade secrets.…
Texas Jury Finds Billing Technology Company Did Not Steal Trade Secrets
On September 30, 2020, a Texas federal jury found that San Francisco-based billing technology company Hint Health did not misappropriate the trade secrets of its former partner, Accresa. The jury also rejected Hint Health’s defamation counterclaim and awarded no damages…
What Is a Trade Secret?
By Will Rava
A company looking to protect its own trade secrets or manage risk involving others’ trade secrets must first consider whether company information qualifies as a trade secret. Often a threshold issue in litigation, this is also an important question for…
Battling Bedbugs: Massachusetts District Court Allows Case Against Distributor that Created a Competing Product to Move Forward
In the early 2000s, New York City experienced a surging bedbug epidemic. In response, the company FabriClear created a spray to treat bedbug infestations, which it called “FabriClear” (“the FabriClear Product”). In 2013, FabriClear approached Harvest Direct, a company that…
Update on Title Source, Inc. v. HouseCanary, Inc.: HouseCanary Cannot Retry Its Trade Secrets and Fraud Claims Without Retrying Its Breach of Contract Claim
In June 2020, we wrote about a Texas appellate court overturning a $740 million judgment for real estate analytics company HouseCanary because the jury instructions included theories of liability for which there was no evidence and allowed recovery on claims…