Jeffrey Kass is co-editor of new book on Trade Secrets & Non-competition
GJN's Jeffrey Kass is co-editor of new book, Trade Secrets and Agreements Not To Compete, A State-by-State Compendium (DRI 2009).
DRI announces the publication of its compendium of state law in the dynamic areas of trade secrets and non-competition covenants. A project of the DRI Commercial Litigation Committee, of which Jeffrey Kass is a member and chair of the IP publications area, this publication describes each state's law and procedure in these increasingly important subject areas.
The chapter authors are lawyers who regularly practice in the two closely related areas. They advise employers in their states as they draft non-competes and seek protection for the secrets the employers have developed over the years. This publication is written for lawyers who work closely with employers to protect their clients' interests. In addition to being one of the co-editors of this publication, Jeffrey Kass authored the Missouri chapter on trade secrets and partner Neal Rogers authored the chapter for Oklahoma.The content of the book is based on the conflict between two fundamental business interests: the entrepreneurial right to engage in whatever business an American wishes to pursue free of unreasonable restraints, and the right of an employer to protect the business know-how it has shared with its employees.
In the 51 trade secrets chapters, the book examines the Uniform Trade Secrets Act and the extent of its adoption by most states. This includes the basic definitions of "trade secret" and "misappropriation," and the types of information that courts will or will not protect and allow an employer to hold confidential.
In the 51 non-compete chapters, the book focuses on the enforceability of prior agreements between an employer and an employee who then leaves the employer. Can the employer require that the former employee not engage in activities related to his or her previous work? What sorts of restraints on the former employee's new business can a court find "reasonable"?
Please CLICK HERE to order a copy of the book