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.
A recent court case from the Eastern District of Louisiana provides some useful guidance for parties seeking fee shifting in trade secrets litigation.
In December 2016, plaintiffs Source Production & Equipment Co., Inc. (SPEC) and affiliates filed an action in…
On appeal from the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a denial of summary judgment holding that there was no misappropriation of trade secrets.
The conflict arose when…
A former part owner of a failed venture sued the venture’s former CEO, Paul Smith, alleging he misappropriated trade-secret hemp strains, selling them to a Canadian cannabis company for nearly $4 million.
In its September 21, 2020 complaint, Big Wuf…
On September 10, 2020, San Diego law firm Slate Law Group filed suit after a former associate left the firm to become in-house counsel for a firm client, ClickUp. Slate alleged that attorney Derek Dahlin misappropriated Slate’s trade secrets by…
Acer has petitioned to the U.S. Supreme Court after the Federal Circuit rejected its attempt to remove a case from state to federal court based on two federal statutes and Gunn v. Minton, 568 U.S. 251 (2013).
The underlying dispute…
On August 4, 2020, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California William Alsup sentenced former Uber executive Anthony Levandowski to 18 months in prison after Levandowksi pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets relating to Google’s self-driving vehicle project.…
The court in Planner 5D v. Facebook, one of the first cases about trade secrets in artificial intelligence datasets, has granted the motion to dismiss on the copyright claims and denied the motion on the trade secret claims.
Trade secrets.…
One of the ways trade secret disputes differ from other IP litigation is that in a trade secret dispute it is not always clear what the intellectual property actually is. Trade secrets aren’t disclosed to the patent office or registered…
Judge William Orrick of the Northern District of California held a hearing last week to address 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss by Facebook and Princeton University in UAB “Planner5D” v. Facebook, Inc., et al., Case No. 19-CV-03132 (N.D. Cal.). This appears…
A Texas appellate court recently affirmed the principle that state free speech rights don’t provide immunity for trade secret misappropriation. Collaborative Imaging v. Zotec Partners. Zotec Partners provides revenue cycle and practice management services to healthcare providers. Dhruva Chopra worked…
