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Confidential Information Business Litigation

Ward and Smith, P.A.

What to Do When Someone Steals Your Trade Secrets: A North Carolina Business Owner's Action Plan

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Maybe you've noticed unusual patterns in lost business, or perhaps another employee tipped you off about the theft. Whatever the warning signs, you need to act quickly and strategically. Here's your step-by-step guide to...more

Jones Day

Severed Knowledge: Negative Trade Secrets Through the Lens of Compartmentalized Memory

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Since the passage of the Defend Trade Secrets Act ("DTSA") in 2016, courts have increasingly addressed the nuance of negative trade secrets—information about what does not work, often referred to as "negative know-how."...more

ArentFox Schiff

Court Denies Beverage Company’s Preliminary Injunction in Trade Secrets Case, Citing Conflicting Evidence

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Protecting trade secrets in the beverage and food industry requires planning and forethought from the outset of product development. Attempting after the fact to plug the holes in the company’s safeguards can be the path to a...more

Miller Canfield

Massive Damages in U.S. Trade Secret Cases Signal High Stakes for Businesses

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Recent U.S. trade secret verdicts have demonstrated the extraordinary financial exposure companies face under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA). Courts have awarded hundreds of millions in damages for misappropriation of...more

Irwin IP LLP

Post-Trial Roadmap on What Not to Do After a Failed Deal 

Irwin IP LLP on

Propel c. Phillips 66, No. 22CV007197 (Cal. Super. Ct. July 30, 2025) - What went wrong is plain from the record. Phillips 66 courted Propel, obtained deep access to Propel’s models and strategy during diligence, and...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Texas Business Courts Welcome Trade Secret Cases

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Texas is aggressively positioning itself as the nation’s trial capital for “bet-the-company” business disputes. On September 1, 2025, the recently created Texas business courts will begin welcoming trade secret and...more

Proskauer - Trade Secrets

Massive $604.9 Million Verdict in Landmark Trade Secret Case

A California state jury awarded Propel Fuels, Inc. $604.9 million in damages after finding Phillips 66 Company liable for trade secret misappropriation. Propel Fuels, Inc. v. Phillips 66 Co., Case No. 22CV007197 (Cal. Oct....more

Cranfill Sumner LLP

Business Court Sends Trade Secret Matter to Trial; Denies Summary Judgment

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On July 23, 2025, the North Carolina Business Court denied summary judgment in United Therapeutics Corp. v. Liquidia Technologies, Inc., allowing claims of trade secret misappropriation and unfair trade practices to proceed...more

K&L Gates LLP

New Aim Misses the Mark: Federal Court Clarifies What Constitutes Confidential Information

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The recent decision of New Aim Pty Ltd v Leung (No 4) is a timely reminder of how confidential information needs to be treated and restricted by businesses to allow it to be protected under law....more

Lathrop GPM

Missouri Federal Court Grants Franchisor’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction for Alleged Violation of Noncompete

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A federal court in Missouri recently granted a franchisor’s motion for a preliminary injunction, finding that the franchisee’s operation of a competing business demonstrated irreparable harm. Three Dog Bakery, LLC v. Crit,...more

Proskauer - Trade Secrets

$30 Million Message: Jury Awards Substantial Punitive Damages for Trade Secret Theft

A nearly decade-long legal battle in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois recently concluded with a significant jury verdict, underscoring the potentially severe consequences of trade secret theft...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Orders Confidential Treatment of Member List Produced in Books and Records Action

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Garlington v. Two Rivers Farm, LLC, C.A. No. 2024-0917-BWD (Del. Ch. Apr. 7, 2025) - The Court of Chancery entered default judgment in a books and records action. The defendant limited liability company then appeared...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Federal Court Enjoins Former Franchisees and Two Related Entities from Competing Against Franchisor

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A federal court recently granted in part and denied in part a franchisor’s motion to enjoin the post-termination activities of its former franchisees and two related entities. Rooterman, LLC is a plumbing services franchisor....more

Robins Kaplan LLP

Avoiding a Tragic End to a Fiduciary Relationship

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Blockbuster movies follow varied plotlines—some tragic, some heartwarming, some a mix. Often they are based on human dramas. In the real world, fiduciary relationships can set the proverbial stage for unwelcomed high drama,...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Passwords Aren’t Enough: The Critical Role of NDAs in Trade Secret Protection

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In the digital age, businesses may assume that firewalls, login credentials and restricted access are enough to shield proprietary data. But a recent federal court decision shows that a “trade secret” under the Defend Trade...more

Vondran Legal

Attorney fees in CUTSA Trade Secret cases

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Trade secret litigation can be brutal. Many times you have a company going after an ex-employee (and sometimes their new employer) for alleged theft of sales leads, confidential documents, and other proprietary information....more

Proskauer - Trade Secrets

Tenth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Trade Secret Claims for Lack of Particularity and Secrecy

On April 22, 2025, the Tenth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of a sales manager and his new employer on claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”), the Oklahoma Uniform Trade Secrets Act (“OUTSA”), and...more

DarrowEverett LLP

Generative AI and Trade Secrets: A New Frontier for IP Litigation

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As legal and business professionals focused on protecting intellectual property—especially those of us in business litigation—it's crucial to stay attuned to the expanding influence of generative AI (“GenAI”). While patents...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Tell Us Your Secret: Case Dismissed for Failure to Identify Trade Secrets

The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendants for the plaintiff’s failure to identify the trade secrets at issue with sufficient particularity....more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Two business court rulings offer insights on trade secret pleadings, employment agreements, and credibility

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Maven Advantage, Inc. and Square One Storm Restoration, LLC are competing roofing businesses. Maven alleged that two employees (Couch and Daniels) stole Maven’s trade secrets (customer lists) and then quit to work for Square...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Not Secret and Not Used: Misappropriation Claim Dismissed

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendants, finding that the plaintiff failed to identify a trade secret and presented no evidence of its use...more

Ward and Smith, P.A.

Understanding Trade Secret Misappropriation: A Guide for In-House Counsel

Ward and Smith, P.A. on

This is the second in a series of articles taken from Gavin Parsons' CLE presentation for the North Carolina Bar Association's Antitrust and Complex Business Dispute CLE Program presented on Thursday, January 30, 2025....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Commercial Division Clarifies Standards for Sealing Court Records in Business Disputes

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In a recent decision, the New York County Commercial Division reaffirmed the high bar that parties must meet when attempting to seal court documents in business disputes. In Linkable Networks, Inc. v. Mastercard Inc., the...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Franchise Agreement Precludes Defend Trade Secrets Act Claim

On February 27, 2025, the District of Minnesota granted a franchisor’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit initiated by its franchisee, alleging, among other things, breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets under the...more

Proskauer - Trade Secrets

Jury Awards $452 Million After Trade Secrets Trial

On December 3, 2024, a U.S District Court for the District of Massachusetts jury awarded Plaintiff Insulet Corporation $452 million in compensatory and punitive damages after finding Defendants willfully misappropriated...more

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