News & Analysis as of August 7, 2025

Today's Popular Updates

+ Follow

Non-Compete Agreements are contracts, typically formed in employment or business purchase contexts, where one party agrees to refrain from engaging in a particular line of work or pursuing business within a certain industry or locale. The purpose of these agreements is to protect employers or business purchasers from competition stemming from former employees or former owners of a business. less -

Restrictive Covenants in Private Equity Transactions

Mintz on 5/15/2025

Restrictive covenants are unquestionably a significant deal consideration in M&A transactions. In the private equity context, a buyer is focused on restrictive covenants to protect its investment by binding the sellers and...more

Employee pirates can plunder a business. Arrrgh ye ready?

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP on 4/8/2025

Piracy is defined as robbery by ship- or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, with a goal of stealing cargo or other valuables. During the Golden Age of Piracy, from the 1680s to the 1720s, infamous...more

Court Rules that the FTC Rule Banning Non-Competition Clauses in Employment Agreements is Unlawful and Order Has “Nationwide...

Polsinelli on 9/3/2024

On August 20, 2024, the Northern District of Texas in the case of Ryan, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission granted summary judgment to the Plaintiff Ryan, LLC, enjoining the FTC from implementing its rule banning non-compete...more

Texas Federal Court Strikes Down FTC Ban on Non - Competes in Ryan v. FTC

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on 8/22/2024

The long awaited collision between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the varied political and legal opinions on the legality of Employment Non-Compete Agreements (Non-Competes) is now moving up the ladder of...more

Seismic Shift in Employment and Intellectual Property Rights: FTC’s Nationwide Ban on Noncompete Agreements

Houston Harbaugh, P.C. on 8/19/2024

30 million is a BIG number! That is the estimated number of employment contracts that could be impacted by the Federal Trade Commission’s new rule banning non-competes, if it goes into effect on September 4, 2024, as...more

FTC Issues Final Rule Banning (Almost All) Non-Compete Agreements

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. on 5/9/2024

On May 7, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Final Rule that renders invalid non-compete clauses in standard employment agreements. 16 C.F.R. § 910. Although some limited exceptions apply, this new regulation...more

Federal Trade Commission Issues Final Rule Prohibiting Non-Compete Agreements (UPDATED)

Hinckley Allen on 5/8/2024

In the article below we informed you that the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) approved and issued a final rule effectively banning non-compete agreements nationwide (“Final Rule”). At the time, all we knew about the...more

Analysis of FTC Non-Compete Ban Legal Challenges: Does the Ban Pass Constitutional Muster? (And Other Issues)

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 5/1/2024

On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted in a 3 to 2 decision along party lines to adopt its Final Non-Compete Clause Rule (“Noncompete Rule”) banning post-employment non-compete clauses between employers...more

The Era Of The Non-Compete Agreement Is Ending – Or Is it?

Akerman LLP - HR Defense on 4/24/2024

The wait is over, but the fight is just beginning. Will U.S. employers need to break up with non-compete agreements forever? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted “yes” earlier this week in pushing through a Final Rule...more

Why Ontario Employers Should Review Employment Contracts Now

Bennett Jones LLP on 8/18/2022

Key Highlights - - Employers likely need to update terms in employment contracts on termination provisions, restrictive covenants and arbitration clauses. - Five practical tips for Ontario employers as they review and...more

[Virtual Event] Employment Practices Liability Insurance - January 26th - 28th, 10:15 am - 4:15 pm EST

American Conference Institute (ACI) on 11/11/2020

29th Annual Employment Practices Liability Insurance - ACI’s 29th Annual Employment Practices Liability Insurance conference returns on January 26-28, 2021 in an interactive, virtual format! This yearly conference is the...more

Top 10 Developments and Headlines in Trade Secret, Non-Compete, and Computer Fraud Law for 2019 & 2020

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 2/27/2020

Continuing our annual tradition, we have compiled our top developments and headlines for 2019 & 2020 in trade secret, non-compete, and computer fraud law. Here’s what you need to know to keep abreast of the ever-changing law...more

Zillow Sues Rival Compass Alleging IP Theft And Breach Of Contract Over Its Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, And Cloud...

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. on 5/16/2019

Switching from defense to offense, Zillow Group, Inc., best known for its residential real estate marketplace technology, recently filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington alleging a...more

For The First Time, A Massachusetts Court Weighs In On The New Noncompetition Agreement Act – Well, Sort Of

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 3/1/2019

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

New Hampshire Senate Seeks to Ban Non-Competes for Low-Wage Workers

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 2/27/2019

On February 21, 2019, the New Hampshire Senate, in a bipartisan voice vote and without debate, passed Senate Bill 197, which would prohibit employers from requiring low-wage workers to enter into non-compete agreements, and...more

Massachusetts Noncompete and Trade Secret Reform Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Jones Day on 10/26/2018

Businesses across the country are feeling the effects of a pair of laws recently enacted in Massachusetts. The "garden leave" clause in Massachusetts' new noncompete law dictates that during the period in which a departed...more

Top Developments/Headlines in Trade Secret, Computer Fraud, and Non-Compete Law in 2017

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 2/19/2018

Continuing our annual tradition, we present the top developments/headlines for 2017/2018 in trade secret, computer fraud, and non-compete law....more

Departing Employees: Ensuring Protection of Trade Secrets and Intellectual Property

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,... on 9/25/2017

“Knowledge is power” goes the old adage. Well, that is certainly true in the world of business where secret processes, confidential designs, and even a good customer list can give a business a vital commercial edge over its...more

Courts Continue to Enforce Foreign Non-Competes in California While the Window for Such Agreements Slowly Closes

Orrick - Trade Secrets Group on 7/13/2017

Contrary to common perception, California employees who signed restrictive covenants prior to January 1, 2017 are not completely immune to enforcement of all restrictions on competition. For the second time in several years,...more

One of Obama Administration’s Final Mandates: Non-Competes Should Be The Exception, Not The Rule

Orrick - Trade Secrets Group on 11/16/2016

With all the hubbub over the Presidential election, it would not be hard to overlook some of the Obama administration’s final moves. Recently, the White House issued a call to action to state legislators to ban non-compete...more

Intellectual Property and Technology: New Federal Law Means You Should Update Your Non-Compete And Non-Disclosure Agreements...

Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC on 5/13/2016

President Obama this week (on May 11) signed into law the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) of 2016. This is truly a landmark law; one that expands the federal remedies companies can pursue to halt the theft of trade secrets...more

Steps Every Startup Should Take to Protect its Intellectual Property

Buchalter on 3/3/2016

Many startup entrepreneurs are not aware of California’s laws around the ownership of intellectual property. And for most, the concepts for products or services are the life-blood of a company’s operations and future....more

Reducing Your Company’s Exposure to Trade Secret Litigation when Key Employees Come and Go

Morgan Lewis on 10/6/2015

THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO - Within the span of two weeks, Mr. Smith and Mr. Wilson, two top managers from your $2 billion corporation, resign. Both managers had complete, unfettered access to your corporation’s trade...more

23 Results

View per page

Page: of 1

Non-Compete Agreements › Intellectual Property Protection › Today's Popular Updates

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"