On April 16, 2019, the EU Parliament approved a draft directive for new harmonized rules on the protection of whistleblowers. The Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Protection of Persons reporting on Breaches of Union Law (the “Whistleblowing Directive”) creates EU-wide minimum standards to protect persons disclosing information to which
Timing Is Everything in Trade Secret Case
Waiting too long to bring a trade secrets case against a defendant could be fatal.
In 2011, Alta Devices, Inc. was the world’s only known manufacturer of thin-film solar technology. LG Electronics, Inc. expressed an interest in this technology which prompted the two companies to enter into discussions about possible business opportunities and ultimately sign
Germany Revamps Trade Secret Law
Germany recently adopted new legislation governing trade secret protection. The “Gesetz zum Schutz von Geschäftsgeheimnissen” (or Trade Secrets Act) implements European Union Directive 2016/943, which is intended to harmonize trade secrets law across the European Union. While many of the core provisions of the Trade Secrets Act will be familiar to practitioners of U.S. trade
Commercials Secrets are Trade Secrets Too, at Least in Vermont
In a recent decision, the Supreme Court of Vermont affirmed its commitment to protecting commercial secrets of private companies, even if they may have been disclosed to a public agency. Long v. City of Burlington, 199 A.3d 542 (Vt. 2018). The Burlington City Council was working with its consultant, ECONorthwest, and private property owners
Vigilance as a Virtue: Lessons To Be Learned from the Coda Development v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Case
The Federal Circuit has revived a complaint to correct inventorship in another case involving the intersection of patent and trade secret law. In Coda Development v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Plaintiffs asserted that Defendants misappropriated trade secrets and breached a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) by seeking patent protection for Plaintiff’s inventions related to self-inflating tire