Non-compete, proprietary information, and confidentiality agreements often contain forum selection provisions, which specify where any related litigation must be brought.  But what is to happen when the underlying agreements contain different forum selection provisions?  A United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana recently addressed this very issue, and held that in such cases, a court must decide for itself which proposed forum has the greater connection to the underlying dispute by focusing on just the facts.  See High Tech Nat’l, LLC v. Wiener, No. 119-CV-02489-SEB-MJD (S.D. Ind. Nov. 26, 2019).
Continue Reading Trade Secrets and Conflicting Forum Selection Provisions – Focus on the Facts!

Reprinted with permission from the May 21, 2020 issue of The Recorder. © 2020 ALM Media Properties, LLC. Further duplication without permission is prohibited.  All rights reserved.

Video conferencing has been available for years but given its new popularity in these COVID-19 times,[1] it behooves businesses to take care to protect their trade secrets during video conferencing.  Here, we address some potential risks to trade secrets from video conferencing –including hidden ones – and offer some potential measures to limit them.
Continue Reading Who’s Watching? Hidden Dangers To Trade Secrets From Video Conferencing

For the first time, the Supreme Court has agreed to review the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The Court’s initial review of the CFAA comes in the wake of a federal circuit split as to whether the statute can only be deployed against hackers and unauthorized users of electronic systems, or also against authorized users who use the information for unauthorized purposes. The Court’s decision may significantly affect not only how law enforcement uses the CFAA, but also whether civil litigants, such as employers, may use the CFAA to defend against unauthorized employee activities.
Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Case Preview—Van Buren v. United States: Does Use of a Computer for an “Improper Purpose” Violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act?

Social media contact lists have become an increasingly important part of a business’s customer lists.  While courts are still grappling with who legally “owns” the data that the employee acquired on the employer’s dime—such as LinkedIn customer connections or access to a list of Twitter-feed recipients[1]—employers can still take steps to bolster the company’s claim of ownership.
Continue Reading Protecting Social Media Contact Lists as Trade Secrets