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Category Archives: Complaints Against Executives
U-Turn Ahead: Uber hits brakes over new hire’s refusal to help in trade secret defense
In a move that surprised no one watching the drama between Uber and Google’s Waymo self-driving vehicle division, Uber fired engineering whiz Anthony Levandowski on Tuesday. The company thought it scored a real coup last year in hiring Levandowski to … Continue reading
Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Corporate culture, Covenants Not to Compete, Defend Trade Secrets Act, Executive contracts, Trade Secrets
Tagged executive compensation, executive contracts, executive employment, executives, Joe Ahmad, Joseph Ahmad, legal, litigation, non-compete agreements, trade secret
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Errant Email Steers Uber into Trade Secret Trouble
It’s too early to know the degree of vetting that occurred before Uber handed Anthony Levandowski nearly $700 million for his fledgling autonomous truck company named Otto and brought him aboard to lead Uber’s self-driving vehicle division. A high-profile trade … Continue reading
Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Defend Trade Secrets Act, Trade Secrets
Tagged CEOs, employment, executive, Google, Joe Ahmad, trade secret, Uber
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Game industry executive’s job-hopping mistake leads to `Game Over’ jury verdict for Facebook/Oculus
Hours after a Dallas jury returned its $500 million verdict for ZeniMax over claims that Facebook and Oculus unfairly used its virtual reality coding, the creator of that code, John Carmack, took to social media to continue his defense. Carmack, … Continue reading
Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Executive contracts, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets
Tagged covenant not to compete, executive, executive contracts, executive employment, Facebook, Joe Ahmad, Joseph Ahmad, non-compete agreements, Oculus, trade secret
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Picture that text you just wrote on the screen in a courtroom
Executives know better than to put questionable statements in email, right? Well, it is past time to realize the same goes for texts. Just like a Miranda warning: Anything you text can and will be used against you in a court of law. Continue reading
Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Depositions, Executive Management Style, Fiduciary Duty, Legal, Litigation, Social Media
Tagged CEOs, covenant not to compete, employment, executive, executive compensation, executive employment, Joe Ahmad, litigation
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Considering a New Job? Please Talk to Your Lawyer
Zillow recently reached a whopping $130 million settlement with Realtor.com operator Move Inc. shortly before the two online real estate giants went to trial over alleged misappropriation of trade secrets. While the settlement amount is a far cry from the … Continue reading
Posted in Business Continuity, CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Covenants Not to Compete, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Executive Management Style, Fiduciary Duty, Legal, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets, Uncategorized
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When You Get SLAPPed, You Can Get SLAPPed Hard
Lawyers who are keeping an eye on SLAPP litigation will want to review the Texas Supreme Court’s April 15 ruling in Sullivan v. Abraham. In its brief decision, the court provided a little more clarity in this emerging area of litigation that can affect many areas of law, including trade secrets. Continue reading
Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Litigation, SLAPP, Trade Secrets
1 Comment
Crass Executive Spending Puts Leading Veterans Charity under a Cloud
As obvious as it seems, abusing an expense account with lavish personal spending is one of the most common ways a CEO can get into trouble. Being an executive comes with reasonable perks that are necessary and helpful to doing the job. But some people get carried away and forget that these funds are not for their personal use and enjoyment. Continue reading
Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Corporate culture, Executive Compensation
Tagged CEO, CEOs, covenant not to compete, depositions, employment, executive, executive contracts, executive employment, executive employment lawyer, executives, Joe Ahmad, legal, litigation
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How to Spot a Possible In-House Trade Secret Thief
My main complaint with how trade secret theft is talked about is the notion that the chief culprits are hackers from China or somewhere similarly opaque. In reality, most trade secret thieves are homegrown, and the tools of the trade are fairly low-tech. Continue reading
Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Legal, Trade Secrets
Tagged FBI
1 Comment
Ex parte civil seizure is overkill in trade secret lawsuits
Congress is so polarized right now that it’s tempting to applaud anything that has bipartisan support. After all, if all those people who can’t stand each other can unite over something, it should be safe to assume that whatever brought them together has to be worth supporting, right?
In the case of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, I may have to be the skunk in the garden party. Of course, the intent of the act is a sound one: providing a federal civil cause of action for the theft of trade secrets and creating a uniform standard nationwide for protecting and enforcing those secrets. But one of the remedies – ex parte seizure of allegedly stolen assets – gives me pause. Continue reading
Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Defend Trade Secrets Act, Trade Secrets
Tagged civil seizure, Defend Trade Secrets Act
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SCOTX Asked to Keep a Few Too Many Secrets
Yesterday, the Texas Supreme Court heard an important case involving the recently enacted Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act (TUTSA), and it could profoundly impact how trade secret cases are litigated in Texas. This case concerns whether a plaintiff can banish … Continue reading
Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Legal, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets
Tagged AZA, National Oilwell Varco, Schlumberger, Supreme Court of Texas
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