In a move aligned with California’s view of non-competes, the District of Columbia (subject to congressional oversight) will soon impose a complete ban on any employment covenant that restricts employment elsewhere at any time, even restrictions forbidding simultaneous employment somewhere else. On January 11, 2021, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act of 2020 (the “Act”), which will soon become law unless Congress issues a joint resolution disapproving the Act within…

Seyfarth partner Erik Weibust was recently named Co-Chair of the Trade Secret Committee for the Boston Patent Law Association (BPLA), Boston’s premier intellectual property organization for attorneys. This follows on the heels of Erik’s recent appointment as Chair of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Trade Secret Committee. The goal of the BPLA is to provide educational programs and a forum for the interchange of ideas and information concerning intellectual property (IP) including patent,…

Webinar 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Central 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Mountain 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pacific REGISTER HERE In the first installment of the 2021 Trade Secrets Webinar Series, Seyfarth attorneys will review noteworthy legislation, cases, and other legal developments from across the nation over the last year in the area of trade secrets and data theft, non-competes and other restrictive covenants, and computer fraud. Plus,…

Seyfarth Trade Secrets partners Erik Weibust, Jeremy Cohen, and Scott Humphrey authored “The Broker Protocol Celebrates Its Sweet Sixteen,” an article in Wealth Management. The article focuses on factors and questions that should be considered by business and legal decision-makers when thinking of joining or leaving the Broker Protocol, including: What are the short term and long term business goals and objectives? Understanding that the Broker Protocol is not “industry standard” and has no impact…

2020 brought with it a bevy of new challenges for companies of all sizes in every industry, not the least of which was protecting trade secrets and confidential information in the face of newly remote workforces. 2021 brings with it new hope and the promise of a return to “normalcy”—whatever that may mean in this changed world. But companies must remain vigilant about protecting their trade secrets and confidential information. As we enter the new…

Many companies have enacted new remote working policies, plans, and procedures, often without much thought given to the protection of trade secrets and proprietary information. Indeed, in their haste to provide work-from-home resources and accessibility, some companies are apparently loosening their security standards to allow faster and more convenient access for employees. Apart from any internal threat, there are bad actors taking advantage of the current situation. Relaxed security make systems and information far more…

In an expansive recent ruling, the California Court of Appeal in Brown v. TGS Management Co., LLC reversed a judgment confirming an arbitration award, examining the arbitrator’s findings, and ultimately invalidating a confidentiality provisions in an employment agreement under Business and Professions Code section 16600 on the grounds that they operated as a “de facto noncompete provision” and were “void ab initio and unenforceable.” The court’s decision, upholding the state’s long-standing policy in favor of…