Category Archives: Legal

Considering a New Job? Please Talk to Your Lawyer

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Bria Burk

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 | Comments Off on Considering a New Job? Please Talk to Your Lawyer

How to Spot a Possible In-House Trade Secret Thief

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

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 | 1 Comment

Law360 Kerfuffle Adds to Noncompetes Bonfire

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

Every few months, a story comes along that reignites the “noncompetes are evil” fervor. Right now, the story du jour is that of Stephanie Russell-Kraft, a freelance reporter who formerly wrote for the legal newswire Law360. She left Law360 – her first job out of college – to take a job at competitor Thomson Reuters Corp. Continue reading →

Posted in Confidential Information, Executive contracts, Legal, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Another Plug for Keeping Secrets Secret

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

Just a quick post to follow up on the item I wrote back in June about the hack into the Houston Astros’ Ground Control database by someone within the St. Louis Cardinals’ front office.

We now know the culprit was Chris Correa, a former Cardinals scouting director who recently pled guilty to five counts of accessing Astros computers without authorization from 2013-14. Correa was able to get into the Astros’ database because he had the password of a former Cardinals’ employee who had joined the Astros. Continue reading →

Posted in Confidential Information, Legal, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Another Plug for Keeping Secrets Secret

SCOTX Asked to Keep a Few Too Many Secrets

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

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 , , , | Comments Off on SCOTX Asked to Keep a Few Too Many Secrets

Cardinal/Astros Hack: Earth-Shaking in Baseball, Business as Usual in the C-Suite

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Joe Ahmad

The recent hack into the Houston Astros’ Ground Control database may be unprecedented in sports, but it has echoes of countless trade secret theft cases in the business world. And even if the culprit turns out to be just one or two “rogue elements” within the Cardinals’ front office, it also offers lessons to high-level executives who change jobs. Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Confidential Information, Executive contracts, Legal, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Cardinal/Astros Hack: Earth-Shaking in Baseball, Business as Usual in the C-Suite

Life without non-competes isn’t necessarily sunny (even in California)

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Joe Ahmad

As an attorney who represents executives who have had to sign non-compete agreements as a condition of employment, I confess to a general dislike of non-competes. They impede worker mobility and career growth, and are often an unnecessarily restrictive way … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Life without non-competes isn’t necessarily sunny (even in California)

Don’t Underestimate Insider Trade Secret Theft

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Joe Ahmad

High-profile security breaches like the ones that targeted Sony, JP Morgan Chase and The Home Depot make major headlines and cause businesses to fear they’re going to lose all their trade secrets to a nefarious underworld of hackers. And while … Continue reading →

Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Legal, Litigation, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas Monthly v. New York Times: Where are the damages?

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Joe Ahmad

The Texas journalism world has been abuzz over a lawsuit filed by Texas Monthly magazine against The New York Times, over The Times‘ luring away of Texas Monthly editor in chief Jake Silverstein to serve as editor of The Times … Continue reading →

Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Executive contracts, Legal, Litigation, Non-Competes | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Texas Monthly v. New York Times: Where are the damages?

Senate Bill Could Encourage More Trade Secret Litigation

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Joe Ahmad

A bill that would fundamentally change the nature of trade secret litigation in Texas is quietly working its way through the Texas Legislature as we speak. Senate Bill 953, by Texas Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas), would adopt the Uniform Trade … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Legal, Litigation, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate Bill Could Encourage More Trade Secret Litigation