As the social media landscape continues to evolve rapidly, Trading Secrets is committed to keeping pace with this evolution in order to provide the most value for our readers. Regular blog contributors Erik Weibust and Dawn Mertineit, both attorneys in Seyfarth’s Trade Secrets Practice, serve as the Trading Secrets “social media directors” and will be actively monitoring the social
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Top 10 Developments/Headlines in Trade Secret, Computer Fraud, and Non-Compete Law in 2013
By Robert Milligan and Joshua Salinas
As part of our annual tradition, we are pleased to present our discussion of the top 10 developments/headlines in trade secret, computer fraud, and non-compete law for 2013. Please join us for our complimentary webinar on March 6, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. P.S.T., where we will discuss them in greater detail. As with all
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Tips For Protecting Trade Secrets In The Social Media Age
Social media clearly has numerous uses and benefits, as hundreds of millions of users worldwide can attest. From connecting with a long lost friend, to marketing a new product or service, to organizing a high school reunion or even an uprising in the Middle East, social media has become a ubiquitous part of our lives. But its rapid proliferation comes
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Computer Fraud And Abuse Act Violated By Bundling Facebook And Other Social Networking Accounts Without Authorization
A California federal court recently issued a substantial monetary award in favor of Facebook and permanent injunction against a website that enabled its users to aggregate their data in social networking sites and messaging services.
Summary of the case. Power Ventures, Inc. (PVI) operates a website called power.com which integrates multiple social networking accounts. In late 2008, PVI began permitting
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Fourth Circuit Holds That Facebook “Like” Is Protected by the First Amendment
Remember that Facebook photo of a friend’s vacation that you “liked” a couple of days ago? Well, congratulations, you’ve just exercised your constitutional right to free speech! This week, in an intensely followed case in the Fourth Circuit, the court held that “liking” something on Facebook is “a form of speech protected by the First Amendment.”
In Bland v. Roberts
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District Court of New Jersey Continues Growing National Trend Permitting Employers to View “Publicly” Available Social Media Posts
Following a growing recent national trend, Judge Martini of the District Court of New Jersey issued summary judgment to Defendants Monmouth-Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (“MONOC”) and two of its senior management employees on August 20, 2013, in a claim brought by a former nurse and EMT, Deborah Ehling, who accused MONOC of retaliation and other claims.
Ehling’s claims, in part,
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New Jersey Federal Court Issues Sanctions For Deletion of Facebook Profile
By Jessica Mendelson and Grace Chuchla
Litigants ought to think twice before deleting their Facebook profiles. Just this month, a New Jersey federal judge issued sanctions against a litigant in a personal injury case for deleting his Facebook profile after agreeing to grant defense counsel access to the profile.
In Gatto v. United Air Lines, the plaintiff, Gatto was
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Federal Court Allows Service On Foreign Defendants Through Facebook
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
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Upcoming Webinar: Employee Privacy and Social Networking – Can Your Trade Secrets Survive?
In Seyfarth’s third installment of its 2013 Trade Secrets Webinar series, on Tuesday, March 19, 2013, at 12:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, Seyfarth attorneys Gary Glaser, Scott Schaefers, and Jessica Mendelson will address the relationship between trade secrets and social media. The Seyfarth panel will specifically address the following topics:
- What’s are “Trade Secrets” and Best Practices to Protect Against
Federal Court Rules That Twitter Invites and Facebook Posts Do Not Constitute Impermissible Employee Solicitations
On January 22, 2013, United States Magistrate Judge Steven Shreder of the Eastern District of Oklahoma issued a report and recommendation, following Plaintiff Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.’s motion for preliminary injunction against its former employee Todd Cahill, concerning whether certain social media communications constituted impermissible employee solicitations in violation of a restrictive covenant agreement. Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. v. Cahill
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