Category Archives: Legal

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

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Law360 Kerfuffle Adds to Noncompetes Bonfire

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

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Another Plug for Keeping Secrets Secret

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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Don’t Underestimate Insider Trade Secret Theft

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

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

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

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Senate Bill Could Encourage More Trade Secret Litigation

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

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Obama Signs Expansion of Trade Secret Law

Theft of trade secrets is a persistent issue in the executive suite, and the universe of possible violations recently expanded thanks to legislation signed into law by President Obama. According to a report in Security Management, The Theft of Trade … Continue reading

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