| Protecting trade secrets is core to a company’s survival and deserving of focused attention from a company’s leaders. We help companies audit their trade secret protection systems and develop and implement best practices. We also:
- Prepare nondisclosure, nonsolicitation and noncompetition agreements with employees, consultants and independent contractors
- Advise on ways to minimize the risk of liability when hiring employers from competitors
- Help companies protect their trade secrets when terminating employees
We handle a high volume of trade secret cases in state and federal courts and in National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) arbitrations. We pursue and defend against a wide range of infringement claims, including computer hacking, employee raiding, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty.
Depending on the case, our team can include commercial, employment and IP litigators, each with trade secret litigation experience. We staff and work cases as leanly as possible, to help us work efficiently with clients and maintain reasonable case budgets. |
Selected Experience Royal Ridge Fruit and Cold Storage LLC 2008 Represented client in theft of trade secrets matter. Case settled favorably. U.S. Trust Company 2008 Plaintiff's counsel in action alleging misappropriation of trade secrets and employee raiding against Lehman Brothers and individual defendants recruited by Lehman Brothers. U.S. Trust Company 2008 Plaintiff's counsel in action alleging misappropriation of trade secrets against a senior-level employee who left U.S. Trust to join Morgan Stanley. Case resolved on favorable terms. Temporary staffing agency 2007 Defended a temporary staffing company in a trade secret action. The case was settled favorably after it was established at deposition that no trade secrets had been taken or used. Halogent LLC d/b/a Exposed Skin Care 2007 Trademark, false advertising and copyright infringement dispute over defendant's keying search engine advertisements to searches on plaintiff's PROACTIV trademark, and content of defendant's Web site. Successfully settled. Kelly Services, Inc. 2007 Obtained preliminary injunction on behalf of Kelly Services related to trade secret and noncompete claims. H&M Communications Group 2007 Lead defense counsel in action alleging misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair competition and breach of contract. Obtained dismissal with prejudice on behalf of client. DiscMakers Inc. 2005 Successfully negotiated dismissal of trademark and other claims against co-defendant DiscMakers Inc. in dispute involving alleged wrongful appropriation of sound recordings by other co-defendants. Obtained restraining order and injunction enforcing noncompetition agreement against former division manager attempting to work for competitor in Florida. (King County, 2007). Successfully defended Pitney Bowes against competitor’s allegations of unfair competition and violations of Consumer Protection Act. (King County, 2007). Obtained preliminary injunction and summary judgment for Pacific Aerospace for breach of confidentiality and nonsolicitation agreements; obtained contempt sanctions in excess of $200,000 for defendants' failure to honor the resulting consent decree. 295 F. Supp. 2d 1188 & 295 F. Supp. 2d 1205 (E.D. Wa. 2003). | |