The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it will be hosting a public forum on February 16, 2022, from 12:00-3:00 p.m. EDT, to discuss its proposed nationwide noncompete ban. The forum is intended to supplement the FTC’s request for written comments, which as of today have exceeded 10,000. According to the FTC, “[t]he commission will hear from a series of speakers who have been subjected to noncompete restrictions, as well as business owners who have experience with noncompetes.” It is unclear whether any of the “business owners who have experience with noncompetes” support their use, or if the FTC intends to stack the deck in favor of its proposed rule. After the formal speakers conclude their remarks, “members of the public will have an opportunity to comment via livestream.” Anyone who wants to do so can sign up here.

We will monitor the public forum and report back here. Please see the “Expert Q&A on the FTC’s Proposed Rule Banning Employee Non-Competes” that we prepared for Reuters Practical Law for additional information about the proposed rule.

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