In a previous post (Noncompete Agreements – A Hurdle to Employment and Innovation?), we discussed research that suggested noncompete agreements hinder innovation.
Expanding on why innovation is hindered, in any context in which a noncompete agreement is entered into e.g., an employment relationship, a founder whose start-up is being acquired, or an owner selling his
Noncompete agreements and other restrictive covenants are customarily found in employment agreements and provided for in the sale of a business.
In the employment context, companies simply do not want a former employee to take its business and set up shop or to go work for a competitor. In connection with the sale of a
A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing, especially when legal issues are involved. This truism makes the Internet a virtual minefield for the unwary looking for “free legal advice,” which often happens in the area of post employment restrictions and noncompete agreements. As discussed below, however, a noncompete lawsuit arising from incomplete
Business owners had a lot to cry about when it came to 2012 Michigan court decisions addressing noncompete agreements.
But, as discussed below, a lot of this frustration arose out of poorly drafted noncompete agreements and failing to fully evaluate the relevant circumstances involving changing employment relationships before reducing those changes to written employment agreements.
Regardless of your political preferences, President Obama’s election victory offers an important lesson that can be extended to your company’s protection of trade secret intellectual property.
In sports – similar to politics or business – a critical strategy for success is the concept of “protecting your home turf.” In this regard, after the dust settled on
The storm that has devastated the U.S. east coast has been dubbed “Frankenstorm” because of the devastating effect of a number of separate natural conditions coming together to create a monstrous “super storm.”
While with less devastation and real-life danger, employers often experience their own employment storms as a result of stitching together various
A fantastic, but often overlooked movie is True Romance. The movie stars Christian Slater whose character, Clarence Worley, delivers the following line:
If there’s one thing this last week has taught me, it’s better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it.
This line should also
Last week I attended the State Bar of Michigan’s Information Technology Law Section Seminar, Core Legal Issues in a High-Tech Business World. It was a great overall day of presentations.
One presentation that stood out from a business owner’s perspective, however, was given by attorney Leigh Taggart – Protecting Software Trade Secrets.
After an individual’s employment is terminated and that individual begins working for a competitor or starts his or her own business, a common question asked by both the individual and the former employer is whether a noncompete agreement can be used to restrict one’s post employment opportunities.
The short answer is … well
On September 11, 2012, Michigan took one step closer to implementing a court system specializing in handling business and commercial cases.
Specifically, the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved legislation that would create a business court system that would exclusively determine disputes if all or part of the claim included a business or commercial dispute where the amount