As we have previously blogged about, in 2016 the Nevada Supreme Court refused to adopt the “blue pencil” doctrine and held that Nevada courts could not modify over-broad restrictive covenants. The following year, we alerted...more
The Massachusetts Superior Court recently held in Now Business Intelligence, Inc. v. Donahue that a temporary reassignment during a business slowdown, consisting of the addition of certain non-billable duties, does not...more
For the first time in 15 years, the Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”), Massachusetts’ highest court, issued a decision analyzing the enforceability of non-solicitation covenants, the distinction between such covenants in the...more
2/5/2020
/ Business Disputes ,
Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Drafting ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Contract Terms ,
Employment Contract ,
Equitable Tolling ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Legitimate Business Interest ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Shareholders ,
Tolling Agreement ,
Trade Secrets ,
Written Agreements
Manhattan restaurant Sottolio, Inc., d/b/a Norma Gastronomia Siciliana hired Giuseppe Manco—“a noted Italian pizza chef, or pizzaiolo”—to consult on its menu. At the same time, Manco and his wife purchased a 9% interest in...more
12/11/2019
/ Breach of Contract ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Economic Impact Analysis ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Legitimate Business Interest ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Proprietary Information ,
Recipes ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Restrictive Covenants
Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) have introduced legislation entitled the Workforce Mobility Act (“WMA”). The WMA, like its prior incarnation from last year, seeks to ban non-compete agreements outside...more
10/31/2019
/ Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Low-Wage Workers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Threshold Requirements
On June 28, 2019, Governor Mills signed LD 733, An Act To Promote Keeping Workers in Maine, into law. The Act places limits on non-compete agreements and bans restrictive employment agreements....more
8/7/2019
/ Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Low-Wage Workers ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Trademarks
On July 11, 2019, Governor Sununu signed S.B. 197 into law. S.B. 197 prohibits an employer from requiring an employee who makes 200% of the federal minimum wage ($14.50) to sign a non-compete agreement restricting the...more
7/17/2019
/ Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Employment Contract ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Regulations ,
Low-Wage Workers ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Pre-Employment Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Trade Secrets ,
Wage and Hour
As we’ve previously written about on this blog, last summer the Massachusetts legislature passed a non-compete reform bill which went into effect on October 1, 2018. ...more
3/1/2019
/ Choice-of-Law ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employment Contract ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Popular ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Trade Secrets