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IBM & Its Diversity Trade Secrets: IBM had sued its former Chief Diversity Officer for moving to Microsoft and breaching a non-compete agreement. At issue: IBM claimed that Lindsay Rae McIntyre was privy to “trade secrets” regarding IBM’s efforts to promote and retain diverse talent. I call bullshit. Somewhat shockingly, the SDNY issued a temporary … Continue reading
In a surprising continuation of Obama-era policy, the Trump DOJ has announced that it will pursue criminal action against firms using no-poaching agreements. On January 18th, 2018, while speaking at an Antitrust Research Foundation conference, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim noted that the DOJ has not backed away from previous no-poaching guidance. Instead, AAG Delrahim … Continue reading
It’s time to take a hard look at non-compete agreements in the car business. Let’s use an example: AutoNation, the Fort-Lauderdale-based car industry giant and Fortune 500 company. For the past twenty years or more, AutoNation has had a field day filing weak non-compete lawsuits. AutoNation files these cases in its backyard, the United States … Continue reading
Question: When two members of a privately held LLC get together and conspire to wrongfully expel the third member, what is the worst possible course of action they can take? Answer: Insist that the wrongfully expelled member is STILL a member and is bound by a non-compete, then litigate the matter until the bitter end. … Continue reading
In the latest chapter of the Waymo v. Uber trade secret litigation, the Court has dealt Waymo yet another blow, this time excluding its damages expert. Let’s take a look. To briefly recap: Waymo is a Google spin-off focused on self-driving cars. Uber is Uber. Anthony Levandowski was a leading Waymo engineer. In 2015, Uber … Continue reading
To sum up the latest chapter of the Waymo v. Uber trade secret litigation: Waymo basically embarrasses itself. Uber pretty much wins. Let’s take a look: Waymo / Uber Background Waymo is a technology company focused on self-driving cars. It’s a Google spin-off. Uber is, well, Uber. Anthony Levandowski (“AL”) was one of Waymo’s star engineers. … Continue reading
Let’s beat the same drum but only this time, take it a step further: Widespread Ignorance About Non-Competes & Antitrust Certain practitioners and judges have absolutely no understanding of the antitrust principles upon which non-compete law is based. True story: I was in a hearing in front a federal judge who I will not … Continue reading
A recent case out of the Southern District of Florida provides important guidance into the limits of non-compete agreements under Florida law. The case is one of the most comprehensive Florida non-compete decisions of the past several years, whether in state or federal court. Let’s take a look: IDMWorks is a company that specializes in … Continue reading
A recent case out of Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals raises important raises important issues related to physician non-compete agreements. Let’s take a look: Before addressing the specifics of this case, some context is necessary: Agreements not to compete are restraints of trade. In any non-compete case, there are two lenses: restraint of trade … Continue reading
A very important decision out of the Western District of Michigan touches upon several important aspects of non-compete litigation and particularly non-compete defense. Not surprisingly, the case pits Stryker against a former sales rep. Stryker, as many folks know, is notorious for aggressively enforcing its non-compete agreements. Let’s take a look: Christopher Ridgeway was hired … Continue reading
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