Think flash mobs are innocent fun?  Well if you’re in Illinois, proceed with caution.  The Illinois legislature recently passed a bill which provides tougher punishments for people whose social media posts result in flash mobs.  The bill was recently signed into law by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

The new law is intended to reduce violent events in Chicago, particularly the
Continue Reading Illinois Passes Social Media Legislation To Regulate Flash Mobs

Connecticut has recently proposed non-compete legislation which could dramatically impact restrictions on employee mobility. 

The bill, known as “Employer Use of Noncompete Agreements,” is House Bill 6658.  The bill recently passed in the Judiciary Committee, and is currently pending before Connecticut’s House of Representatives.

As it is written, the bill is intended to apply to all Connecticut employers.  The
Continue Reading Non-Compete Legislation Proposed in Connecticut

We have previously written about Sergey Aleynikov, a former computer programmer for an investment bank who beat federal charges of trade secret theft under the Economic Espionage Act in 2012.  Although Aleynikov was initially convicted of these charges, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned his conviction, finding that the trade secrets relating to the source code Aleynikov had taken
Continue Reading New York State Court Rejects Double Jeopardy Argument In Data Theft Case

Does using a labeled truck identifying your company to deliver products to your clients make your client list publicly available? Will doing so undermine protecting your client list as a trade secret?  Last month, the defendant in a case before a federal district judge in California tried to make that argument, and while the case was decided on other grounds,
Continue Reading Is Your Company’s Customer List Still A Trade Secret If Your Company Uses Labeled Delivery Trucks?

Did you think Facebook was just for “likes” and “status” updates? Think again! A federal district court in New York recently tackled the issue of service of process via social media head on, permitting service via Facebook as a backup means of service for serving foreign defendants.

In the case of Federal Trade Commission v. PCCare247, Inc., the Federal Trade
Continue Reading Federal Court Allows Service On Foreign Defendants Through Facebook

With the passage of A2878 in the New Jersey General Assembly in March, New Jersey is poised to become the eighth state to “pass legislation preventing employers from asking prospective and current employers for passwords to their accounts on social media sites.” The proposed law, which is now being considered by Governor Chris Christie, would become the most restrictive social
Continue Reading New Jersey Poised To Adopt New Social Media Legislation

A federal judge in Virginia recently held that the United States Department of Justice’s attempts to serve Kolon Industries, Inc and five of its executives with criminal summons in a high profile criminal trade secrets action were ineffective, finding, among other things, that service on its U.S. subsidiary was not sufficient.

In the complaint, which was unsealed last October, the
Continue Reading Federal Court Rules That Government’s Service Attempts Fail In Criminal Trade Secret Matter

By Jessica Mendelson and Robert Milligan

On Wednesday February 20, 2013, the White House released a five-point plan (“the Plan”) intended to combat trade secret theft of American trade secrets. 

The plan is a collaboration between various federal agencies, including the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State, Treasury, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the
Continue Reading United States Announces Multifaceted Plan To Combat Trade Secret Theft At Home And Abroad

Now that the Tory Burch lawsuit has settled, it looks like we’ve got ourselves another preppy clothing dispute on our hands!  Last week, J. Crew sued one of its former employees, a senior design director named Dwight Fenton, for allegedly stealing confidential information in New York state court.  Fenton had recently resigned from the company to take a position at
Continue Reading Fashion Company Launches Breach of Confidentiality/Unfair Competition Suit Against Former Employee

Anonymous, the aptly named anonymous collective of hackers, hacked into the United States Sentencing Commission’s website on January 23 to protest the government’s prosecution of Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide last month. The group initially hacked the site on Friday January 22, replacing the contents of the site with its own video. In the video, which has since been
Continue Reading Computer Activists Take Over Sentencing Commission Website