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Cross-posted from Workplace Law & Strategy blog.

When an ex-employee goes to a competitor or starts poaching clients or staff, employers often look to a restraint of trade clause to protect key business assets such as client relationships or company confidential information.

Often a quick decision needs to be made: apply to the Court to stop the ex-employee, or wait and sue for breach of contract damages at some later time. Wrapped up in this decision is the important issue of prospects of success—an employer will want to know there is a good chance of a successful outcome.
Continue Reading Will We Win? The Odds of Success in Restraint of Trade Cases

By Michael Tamvakologos and Justine Giuliani

We will now look at the different types of post-employment restrictive covenants, and work through a checklist of questions employers should ask themselves when drafting a restraint to make sure it’s the right fit.

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A good restraint is not about creating the ultimate “catch all” provision. Rather, it requires a series of good choices…
Continue Reading Drafting and Litigating Post-Employment Restrictive Covenants in Australia – Tailoring Your Restraint to Ensure the Right Fit

shutterstock_337013828The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (“TPP) between twelve Pacific Rim counties, including Australia and the United States, was finally made public on 5 November.

The text of the Agreement will now be reviewed by various parliamentary committees before Parliament votes on legislation to implement the Agreement in Australia, likely to be in February or March next year. If the implementing…
Continue Reading What does the Trans Pacific Partnership mean for IP in Australia?

shutterstock_214658791By Michael Tamvakologos and Justine Giuliani

An enforceable restraint of trade can be a key business asset. Or some might think about it as an insurance policy. The capacity to preserve customer connections, protect confidential information and discourage key executives from setting up their own business or moving to a competitor can be critical to information rich businesses operating in…
Continue Reading Australia Non-Compete Update: the Difference Between Winning and Losing Restraint Litigation is Often Good Housekeeping

We are pleased to announce the webinar “International Trade Secrets and Non-Compete Law Update,” is now available as a podcast and webinar recording.

The fifth webinar in the 2014 series, was presented by Wan Li, Ming Henderson, Justine Turnbull and Daniel Hart, focused on non-compete and trade secret considerations from an international perspective. Specifically, the webinar involved a discussion …
Continue Reading Webinar Recap! International Trade Secrets and Non-Compete Law Update

When the Walt Disney Company built the “It’s a Small World” ® ride for the New York World’s Fair in 1964, they probably had no idea of the challenges that globalization could pose 50 years later. From cases involving the sale of stolen trade secrets to foreign companies to departing employees setting up competing business in different jurisdictions, many…
Continue Reading Seyfarth to Host Webinar on International Trade Secrets and Non-Compete Law

To accommodate our global audience, the fifth installment in the 2014 Trade Secrets Webinar Series will be available as an on-demand broadcast on Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. Central. Please register to receive access to the broadcast.

Seyfarth attorneys Wan Li, Ming Henderson, Justine Turnbull and Daniel Hart  will focus on non-compete and trade secret considerations from an…
Continue Reading Upcoming On-Demand Webinar: International Trade Secrets and Non-Compete Law Update

By Justine Turnbull and Cassie Howman-Giles

Given difficult economic times, protection of confidential information (including trade secrets) has become a greater priority for business in Australia. As a result, post-employment restraint litigation is increasingly common as employers attempt to protect their confidential information and restrain former employees from soliciting the business of their valued clients.

This note outlines the position …
Continue Reading Australia Non-Compete Primer: Protecting Your Business Interests Post-Employment

What do the laws of the United States, Peru and Australia have in common when it comes to imposing similar riminal penalties for trade secret misappropriation?  Virtually nothing!

In the U.S., criminal penalties for misappropriating trade secrets range from 10 to 15 years.  In Peru, the maximum criminal sentence for stealing trade secrets is 2 years.  And in Australia, there …
Continue Reading U.S. Counsels Cross-Border Consistency In Criminal Consequences For Trade Secret Theft