Tag: Trade Secrets

What Businesses Should Know About Intellectual Property

Many individuals—and all businesses—have intellectual property. This includes everything from names and brands, to inventions, software, and works of art. Too often those assets go unprotected. As companies prepare to develop and commercialize a product or idea, it’s important that they understand what is needed to strategically protect their assets. What Is Intellectual Property? Intellectual […]

Training Employees to Protect Trade Secrets

In a previous post, we discussed the importance of trade secrets to an organization’s ability to successfully compete against others in its industry, as well as the tricky balancing act required to both ensure employees who need it have access to trade secret information and protect that information from misuse. In this post, we discuss […]

EntertainHR: Whistleblower Implications of Titanic Proportions

While the world held its collective breath last month as search teams desperately looked for a missing submersible carrying five Titanic tourists, news reports began circulating of a former OceanGate director of marine operations who was allegedly fired for raising safety concerns years earlier regarding that same vessel. Sadly, the rescue mission soon turned into […]

Trade Secret

Employee Training Is Key to Trade Secret Protection

Do your employees have the basic training they need to understand why and how to protect your organization’s trade secret information? Trade secrets are intellectual property and confidential information that’s so important to a business’s ability to compete with the rest of the industry that companies place great importance on keeping that information secret. In […]

Preventing Competitors from Tapping Your Secrets

Many companies accumulate trade secrets, such as pricing schemes, business plans, and production shortcuts, but they don’t want competitors to tap into this private reserve of knowledge. The easiest way  for a competitor to obtain these secrets is by hiring one of your key employees. A recent case from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of […]

My Former Employee is Sharing Confidential Information—Help!

As an employer, one of your worst fears may be that a disgruntled or entrepreneurial former employee may try to share your internal operations, documents, or trade secrets. What you can do to protect your business in these situations may not always be clear. This article is meant to help you consider your options when […]

Lessons on Drafting Employee Agreements

The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia) recently issued a published decision on an employer’s second appeal of a judgment in favor of its former employee on claims of breaching an employment agreement and misappropriating trade secrets under the Maryland Uniform Trade Secrets Act […]

4th Circuit Providing Lesson on Drafting Employee Agreements

The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia) recently issued a published decision on an employer’s second appeal of a judgment in favor of its former employee on claims of breaching an employment agreement and misappropriating trade secrets under the Maryland Uniform Trade Secrets Act […]

DOJ Urges State Court to Use Antitrust Principles to Invalidate Noncompetes

Noncompete agreements between employers and their employees traditionally are governed by state law. But that didn’t stop the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from recently filing a statement of interest encouraging a Nevada state court to consider federal antitrust principles to invalidate noncompete agreements between a large medical group and its physician-employees.