Trade secrets, noncompetes, and other restrictive covenants continued to make headlines in 2024. Most notably, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published a final rule imposing a near total ban on employee noncompetes that...more
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
With 2024 underway, we highlight some of the most pressing legal issues facing employers this year, including increased regulation of noncompetition agreements, new paid family and medical leave laws, a new Overtime Rule, and...more
4/23/2024
/ Cannabis Products ,
Citizenship Status Discrimination ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Medical Leave ,
Misclassification ,
New Rules ,
NLRB ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
OSHA ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Unions
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
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a new rule that would ban employers from requiring workers to sign non-competes and require recission of existing non-competes. The FTC’s press release...more
As increasing scrutiny was cast at the state and federal level on noncompetition agreements and other restrictive covenants, companies were forced to assess their ability to safeguard trade secret information. Not to mention...more
3/8/2021
/ Anti-Raiding ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trade Secrets
As noted in an earlier Alert, on January 9, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission held a public workshop and invited public comments on whether the FTC should issue a rule that would restrict or prohibit the use of non-competes...more
In short, the petitioners asked for a rule that non-competes are an unfair method of competition that is illegal per se under Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Further, they asked that any employer presenting,...more
1/27/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Comment Period ,
Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Former Employee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Regulations ,
Low-Wage Workers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Public Comment ,
Public Workshops ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Rulemaking Process