On October 7, Jennifer Abruzzo, General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), issued a memorandum reinforcing her stance that most post-employment noncompete agreements violate Section 7 of the National Labor...more
On August 20, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas held that the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) final rule banning noncompetes is unlawful and “set aside” the rule. “The Rule shall not be enforced or...more
On July 3, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a decision and order enjoining the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from enforcing its final rule banning most noncompete agreements....more
On April 23, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to publish a final rule with sweeping effect, purporting to bar prospectively and invalidate retroactively most employee noncompete agreements....more
On April 30, the Federal Register announced that the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Non-Compete Clause Rule is scheduled to be published on May 7. The Rule becomes effective 120 days after publication, resulting in an...more
As discussed in our recent alerts, the final rule would bar employers from entering into and enforcing noncompetes with most workers.
ArentFox Schiff’s Trade Secrets, Noncompetes & Employee Mobility Team has been...more
4/30/2024
/ Audits ,
Confidential Information ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Nonprofits ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Trade Secrets
Today, the Federal Trade Commission adopted a final rule purporting to ban noncompete covenants for workers nationwide, which will become effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register, unless first enjoined in...more
4/24/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Bans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
FTC Act ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Solicitation Agreements ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On April 16, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it will hold a special Open Commission Meeting on Tuesday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. ET, for purposes of voting on its proposed final rule banning noncompete...more
2023 was a banner year for trade secrets, non-competes, and other restrictive covenants. Employee non-competes continued to garner attention at the federal agency level, drawing commentary and action from the Federal Trade...more
3/13/2024
/ Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Cybersecurity ,
Damages ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employment Contract ,
Enforcement ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Former Employee ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws ,
Trade Secrets
2023 was a pivotal year for the emerging companies, creating new categories of winners and losers across the board. Emerging companies incorporating artificial intelligence or that have clear line of sight to positive cash...more
2/20/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Corporate Executives ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Down Rounds ,
Early Stage Companies ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Entrepreneurs ,
Estate Planning ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financing ,
FinCEN ,
FTC Endorsement Guidelines ,
Funding ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Ransomware ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Social Media ,
Startups ,
The Copyright Act ,
Venture Capital ,
Wage and Hour ,
Websites
2023 was a pivotal year for the beverage and food industry globally, creating new categories of winners and losers across the board. With a full year of operations largely relieved of pandemic-era restrictions, restaurant...more
2/15/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Estate Planning ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Ransomware ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Social Media ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
New York’s potential ban of non-competition agreements was curtailed by Governor Kathy Hochul. In June 2023, the state legislature passed a bill calling for a broad prohibition on non-competes. But in December 2023, the...more
New York, a state with a GDP larger than most sovereign nations, is on the brink of a significant change to its employment landscape. It may soon join the four other states that have banned employee non-compete agreements....more
Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a rule that would, with limited exceptions, bar employers from using employee non-compete agreements and require rescission of existing non-compete agreements....more
On May 30, 2023, Jennifer Abruzzo, General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), published a controversial enforcement memorandum asserting that most post-employment non-competition agreements for...more
Protecting trade secrets is critical for any company. Being proactive and consistent is the best way to keep your company’s secrets safe.
Keeping Your Trade Secrets Secret -
It is critical for new businesses (and...more
In today’s competitive employment market, employee resignations are reaching near record-highs. Whether a separation is voluntary or involuntary, employee terminations often happen quickly and involve many moving parts. To...more
In a previous article, Litigating Spoliation Claims in Trade Secret Cases, we discussed the rise of spoliation in trade secret and restrictive covenant cases. In that article, we provided background on trade secret laws and...more
If yours is one of the many companies considering new employment incentives, enhanced benefits, and retention bonuses, you should also consider taking another look at your non-compete covenants at the same time. They might...more