Can a Lawsuit Help Mitigate the Risks of Trade Secret Theft?
Trade secret law is constantly evolving as technologies in the workplace change. Staying up to date is critical. Recently, I attended an online seminar focused on theft of trade secrets in the workplace. The presenters included private practice attorneys from a national firm and in-house IP counsel from two large companies. There was a consensus […]
Trade Secret Theft on the Cloud: Concerns For Both Employers and Employees
Max Taves authored an article posted by Law Technology News entitled "Trade Secret Spats Center on Cloud." The article highlights the increasing difficulty employers face when trying to avoid theft of confidential information when employees have access to third party storage providers such as DropBox, Googe Docs, SugarSync, and SkyDrive. Third party data storage providers […]
Non-Compete Agreement Tips for Partners, Executives, and Employees
In this post, I continue the discussion about non-compete agreements in Connecticut. This time, I focus on the employee side. Here are 5 things to think about when leaving employment if you have a non-compete agreement. Do not believe water cooler experts. Many employees come to believe what they hear at the water cooler […]
Tips On How To Reduce The Risk Of Intellectual Property Theft
In my last post, I wrote about the risks facing businesses when there is a departing employee. It can be fairly argued that in the next 3 years your average business will have to deal with a disgruntled, departing employee. The employee will have had access to confidential information in digital form. Studies have shown […]
Deciding to Enforce A Non-Compete Agreement in Connecticut – 5 Tips
Many Connecticut business owners have agreements (so called "non-compete agreements") in place with their employees concerning competition or solicitation. When an employee leaves a company, business owners have to decide if they should try to enforce the non-compete agreement by filing a lawsuit or engaging an attorney. Here are 5 factors to consider: 1. […]
Damages for Breach of Non-Compete Agreement In Connecticut
When deciding whether to hire an attorney to seek enforcement of a non-compete agreement in Connecticut, a business should consider the available remedies or damages. The following are the basic remedies or damages for breach of a typical non-compete agreement in Connecticut. 1. Injunctive relief. Injunctive relief basically means a court ordered act or prohibition […]
No Contract, No Problem – Charter Oak Gets A Chance To Prove Its Case
In a decision that will be officially release tomorrow (download)the Connecticut appellate court ordered a new trial in favor of Charter Oak Lending for the claims it brought against employees who defected to a competitor. Unless there is a successful appeal to the Connecticut Supreme Court, this means Charter Oak will get a second chance to prove its claims against the key employees despite […]
Business Litigation Roundup
As we head to the new year, here is a round up from some fellow bloggers on contracts, cobra, wage disputes, patents, and oral agreements for limited liability companies. The California Business Lawyer Blog offers a very detailed post about contractual relationships between manufacturers and suppliers. The focus is on well drafted agreements eliminating the […]
Do You Need A Contract To Stop A Former Employee From Competing?
The short answer is yes, a business does need a contract, also known as a "non-compete agreement," to prevent a former employee from fairly competing in business once the employee resigns. Even with a written agreement, there are limitations on non-compete agreements because they are viewed as a restraint of trade. To be enforceable, the restrictions in the […]