In 2024, Seyfarth’s Trade Secrets, Computer Fraud & Non-Compete practice group presented a series of dynamic and insightful CLE webinars, addressing pivotal challenges confronting businesses head-on. The breadth of our discussions encompassed a spectrum of critical topics:

  1. 2024 Trade Secrets & Non-Competes Year in Review
  2. Navigating the Intersection of Non-Compete Agreements and Employee Mobility
  3. Employee Training Programs: Building a Culture of Confidentiality
  4. Navigating Legal Minefields: Insights from Seyfarth’s 2024 Commercial Litigation Outlook
  5. Deciphering the FTC’s Non-Compete Ban: Navigating the New Regulatory Terrain and Adequately Protecting Employers’ Interests
  6. Data Protection and Cybersecurity: Safeguarding Trade Secrets in the Digital Age
  7. Unveiling Trade Secrets Breaches: Leveraging Forensic Exams for Robust IP Protection
  8. Enforcement Strategies Beyond Litigation: Leveraging Alternative Dispute Resolution
  9. Trade Secrets Audits: Assessing and Strengthening Your Company’s IP Protection
  10. What Employers Need to Know Regarding Non-Compete Changes in 2024

To conclude our impactful 2024 webinar series, we’ve carefully compiled key takeaways from each session. If you missed any sessions, recordings are available on our blog or through the provided links. We’re excited to share that Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit is attainable by watching the webinar recordings. For CLE credit inquiries, please email cle@seyfarth.com after viewing the webinar.Continue Reading 2024 Trade Secrets Webinar Series Recap: Key Takeaways and Access to Recordings

On December 4, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) ordered building services contractor Guardian Industries, Inc. (“Guardian”) to cease enforcement of no-hire provisions it included in customer service agreements with residential building owners and building management companies, prohibiting the hire of Guardian’s employees.

Guardian, which operates in New York and New Jersey, was on the receiving end of a complaint

Continue Reading FTC Cracks Down on Use of No-Hire Agreements As Anti-Competitive

As we previously reported, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that it is amending and reorganizing the document requirements for pre-merger notifications under the Hart Scott Rodino Act (“HSR Act”), 15 U.S.C. 18a, which also includes a requirement for buyers to indicate the existence of non-compete and non-solicit agreements among the businesses involved.  The HSR Act and the associated

Continue Reading FTC Amends Pre-Merger Notification Rules Affecting Use of Restrictive Covenants

In our recent webinar, “Trade Secrets Audits: Strengthening Your Company’s IP Protection,” Seyfarth’s Intellectual Property Partner, Lauren Leipold, along with Trade Secret Attorneys Eddy Salcedo and James Yu, shared essential strategies for enhancing IP protection in today’s complex landscape. As corporate espionage and data breaches become increasingly prevalent, the session provided valuable insights on effective methods for safeguarding your company’s

Continue Reading Webinar Recap! Trade Secrets Audits: Strengthening Your Company’s IP Protection

On October 4, 2024, Plaintiff ATS Tree Services, LLC (“ATS”) voluntarily dismissed its claims against the FTC challenging the agency’s Non-Compete Rule. See ATS Tree Services, LLC v. Fed. Trade Comm’n, et al., No. 2:24-CV-01743-KBH (E.D. Pa. July 23, 2024). The dismissal ends the case before a decision on the merits, preventing the FTC from obtaining a favorable ruling

Continue Reading Pennsylvania Plaintiff Drops Challenge to FTC Non-Compete Rule

Just over a month ago, employers throughout the United States breathed a sigh of relief after Judge Ada Brown in the Northern District of Texas issued a summary judgment ruling in the Ryan v. FTC litigation setting aside the FTC’s rule banning the vast majority of non-competes (the “Rule”). In that decision, Judge Brown reasoned—just as she had in her

Continue Reading The Saga’s Not Over – FTC Appeals Florida Court’s Stay of Non-Compete Rule

Once again surprising the country by acting ten days before her own self-appointed deadline, a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a ruling on August 20 in the Ryan v. FTC case setting aside the FTC Rule banning non-competes, and held (quoting Fifth Circuit precedent) that the ruling had “nationwide effect”

Continue Reading Federal Texas Court Sets Aside with “Nationwide Effect” the FTC Rule Banning Non-Competes

This just in: Judge Ada Brown ruled today on the parties’ dueling summary judgment motions – 10 days before her self-imposed deadline to do so – in Ryan LLC v. FTC. Judge Brown granted the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment while denying the FTC’s motion, determining that the FTC’s rule banning non-competes is an unlawful agency action and must

Continue Reading BREAKING: Federal Judge Rules FTC’s Non-Compete Ban to be Set Aside Nationwide

As we recently reported, in its Final Rule banning most worker non-competes, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) previously warned of its intent to vigorously enforce its non-compete ban wherever possible, which may include self-styled nonprofit and not-for-profit entities.  This warning threw most hospital systems in America, which are non-profit, into the chaos of unsettled expectations surrounding the current litigation

Continue Reading Code Red: AHA and FHA Acknowledge Industry Distortions to Emerge from the Threat to Regulate Nonprofit Hospitals Wherever Possible

Yesterday, a third court weighed in on the FTC’s proposed ban on non-competes, set to go into effect on September 4, 2024. Judge Corrigan of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted the plaintiff Properties of the Villages, Inc.’s (“POV”) motion to stay the effective date of the rule and preliminarily enjoin its enforcement.

Continue Reading More Bad News for the FTC: Federal Court in Florida Enjoins Enforcement of Non-Compete Ban