Trade Secret | Noncompete – Issues and Cases in the News – April 2013 Update

April 22, 2013

Russell Beck Fair Competition News, Massachusetts Noncompete Bill, Noncompetes, Privacy, Privacy Law, Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets , , , , , , Leave a comment

extras_03True to the unfortunate limit of 24 hours in a day, my posts continue to written during my vacations. This time, given the extended delay between vacations, and therefore posts on issues and cases making trade secrets | noncompete news, I am posting just some highlights of the past few months. Here we go…

Obama Administration: In February 2013, the Obama Administration issued Administration Strategy on Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets. In furtherance of that strategy, on March 19, 2013, the Administration solicited public comment on possible trade secrets “for an Administration legislative review related to economic espionage and trade secret theft.” The notice is available here. Comments are due by April 22, 2013. Peter Toren has commented already; his comments are here: Read My Federal Register Comments on Existing Laws Related to the Enforcement of Trade Secrets.

Second Circuit (personal jurisdiction): The Second Circuit, in a trade secrets misappropriation case, found personal jurisdiction over a former employee of a Connecticut company, who was a citizen of Canada, residing and working in Canada. The former employee was accused of misappropriating the company’s confidential information by emailing it to herself between the time she found out that she had been terminated and her last day of work. The employee’s contacts with Connecticut (and the United States) were extremely limited. However, the Court found significant that the employee’s employment agreement contained notice to the employee that the company’s email servers were located in Connecticut and that the employee could not transfer the company’s information to her personal email. The Court concluded that this language in the employment agreement put the employee on notice that any misconduct using the company’s email would be directed into Connecticut (a factor in the analysis of whether to exercise personal jurisdiction). See MacDermid, Inc. v. Deiter.

Sixth Circuit (BYOD risks): Eric Osteroff wrote a nice post on the Sixth Circuit’s decision in Kendall Holdings, Ltd. v. Eden Cryogenics, LLC concerning the perils of BYOD (bring your own device) policies. BYOD practices can have significant ramifications for trade secrets risks and need to be carefully considered in light of an overall trade secrets policy and approach. See Ken Vanko‘s post, The BYOD Thicket: Some Basic Steps to Take for Businesses. See also My phone or yours? EEOC official provides best practices for “bring your own device” policies.

Ninth Circuit: The Mattel v. MGA saga continues, with the reversal of MGA’s $170,000,000 trade secret verdict. See Ninth Circuit Takes Away MGA’s $170 Million Trade Secret Award Against Mattel. 

District of Columbia: Most noncompete and trade secrets litigation starts with the sending of a “cease and desist” letter. One concern is that the sending of such a letter might, if the facts turn out to be wrong, give rise to a defamation counterclaim. However, on March 18, 2013, the United States District Court for the District of Washington rejected just such a claim. Specifically, the court held that the letter was protected by the litigation privilege, and therefore could not give rise to a defamation claim. For a discussion of the case, see Kara Maciel‘s (from my former firm, Epstein Becker & Green) post, Cease and Desist Letters Enjoy An Absolute Privilege From Libel Claims. As John Marsh of Hahn Loeser points out, however, the fact that a defamation claim doesn’t lie, does not equate to no risk of a tortious interference claim. Cease and Desist Letters: Defamation May Not Be An Issue But Watch Out for Tortious Interference.

Federal Circuit: The Federal Circuit in Phillip M. Adams & Assoc., LLC v. Dell Computer Corp applied the discovery rule to toll the statute of limitation in a trade secrets case. For more discussion, see Federal Circuit Addresses Uniform Trade Secrets Act Discovery Rule by Eric Ostroff.

Florida: Notwithstanding a confidentiality agreement and nonsolicitation agreement, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Tampa) permitted a former employee to use her former employer’s customer list to mass email an announcement (sometimes called a “wedding-style announcement”) to her former employer’s customers. See The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company (VALIC) v. Laeng. For additional reading, see Mass-Mailing To Public Employees Did Not Violate Non-Solicitation Agreement by John Nefflen at Burr Forman.

In another interesting case, Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals affirmed an injunction where the employer offered testimony establishing that it secured the noncompete to protect its goodwill, that the defendant had been offering similar services for less money, and that the employer lost business. For more, see Fox Rothchild‘s Jason Cornell‘s post, United States: Enforcing a Non-Compete Agreement in Florida: What Evidence is Relevant?

New York (CFAA): The United State District Court for the Southern District of New York has opted for the more narrow interpretation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in Advanced Aerofoil Technologies, AG v. Todaro. For more, see The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and Protecting Employer’s Electronic Data by Kristin Parsons of Burr & Forman and Another Court Construes the CFAA Narrowly and More of My Thoughts on the Statute by Ken Vanko.

New York (jurisdiction/venue): On January 10, 2013, the New York Appellate Division, First Department, in Aon Risk Services v. Cusack, rejected efforts to dismiss a noncompete case in favor of a prior filed action in California. For an in-depth discussion, see Battle Rages On In Epic Restrictive Covenant Dispute by David Clark of Epstein Becker & Green.

North Carolina: The North Carolina Court of Appeals held a noncompete in a staffing case – involving the sale of business – to be unenforceable. The agreement covers a number of legal points, any one of which would be sufficient to invalidate the agreement based on its language.  The court noted the plaintiff’s admission that there were no trade secrets or proprietary information at issue and that the employees were “general laborer[s].” The court then determined that the agreement was overly broad and really directed toward preventing ordinary competition, rather than the protection of goodwill. See Phelps Staffing, LLC v. C. T. Phelps, Inc. Most interesting about the case, however, is that the plaintiff purchased the staffing company from its then-owned, defendant Sheila Phelps. But, Ms. Phelps’s husband, who had been working with her, had started a competing venture shortly before the sale. He was present at the sale, presumably understood the terms, and received substantial benefit from it (the sale was $1.4 million). Oddly, he was not required to sign any documents – although one of the agreements required him not to interfere. Accordingly, even though he was a clear threat, neither the trial court nor the Court of Appeals was willing to restrain him even though he benefited substantially from the sale. Compare that with Zions First National Bank v. Macke, discussed by Amy Dehnel at Berman Fink Van Horn in Can an Employee Use a Spouse to Circumvent Restrictive Covenants? Georgia Court of Appeals Says “No.”

Wyoming: According to RT, “A district judge in Wyoming has shot down a group of environmentalists who tried to gather information about the long-term effects of fracking . . . .” See Fracking chemicals to stay ‘trade secrets.’

Legislation and Bills: A handful of states have recently proposed legislation relating to noncompetes and/or trade secrets. Ken Vanko, John Marsh, and I recorded a FairlyCompeting podcast discussing some of that proposed legislation.Here is some additional information:

Illinois: The Illinois House of Representatives has introduced a bill that, although saying it would allow “noncompetes,” would actually ban noncompetes, though allow  nonsolicitation agreements if they meet certain defined criteria. Although the bill is too long to post its contents, the full text can be found here. Ken Vanko has a nice discussion of the bill in A Brief Commentary on Illinois’ Proposed Noncompete Agreement Act.

Maryland: The Maryland Senate introduced a bill that would render noncompetes enforceable if the employee were terminated and therefore eligible for unemployment benefits. The operative text is as follows:

IF AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS UNEMPLOYED HAS APPLIED FOR AND IS FOUND ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS AS PROVIDED IN TITLE 8 OF THIS ARTICLE, THE INDIVIDUAL MAY NOT BE BOUND BY A NONCOMPETITION COVENANT ENTERED INTO WITH THE INDIVIDUAL’S PRIOR EMPLOYER.

The bill would apply only prospectively to noncompetes entered into after October 1, 2013 (the putative effective date of the statute). The bill has, however, been reported unfavorably out of the Finance Committee.

Massachusetts: I previously discussed the proposed, scaled-down noncompete legislation in Massachusetts, limiting the duration of noncompetes, unless one of three exceptions exists. See New Massachusetts Noncompete Bill. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.

In addition, Massachusetts is again considering adopting the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (HB 27). This time, however, there is a competing UTSA bill (HB 1225) that combines the UTSA with an outright ban of employee noncompetes. The text relating to noncompetes provides:

Section 19 of Chapter 149 of the General Laws of Massachusetts is hereby amended by inserting at the end the following new paragraphs:

Any written or oral contract or agreement arising out of an employment relationship that prohibits, impairs, restrains, restricts, or places any condition on, a person’s ability to seek, engage in or accept any type of employment or independent contractor work, for any period of time after an employment relationship has ended, shall be void and unenforceable with respect to that restriction. This section shall not render void or unenforceable the remainder of the contract or agreement.

For the purposes of this section, chapter 149, section 148B shall control the definition of employment.

This section shall be construed liberally for the accomplishment of its purposes, and no other provision of the General Laws shall be construed in a manner that would limit its coverage. Nothing in this section shall preempt tort or contract claims, or other statutory claims, based upon an employer’s use, or attempted use of an unlawful contract or agreement to interfere with subsequent employment or contractor work.

This section shall apply to all contracts and agreements, including those executed before the effective date of this act.

Both UTSA bills were referred to the Judiciary Committee, and remain there.

Michigan: The Michigan Senate introduced SB 786, which, if passed would, like New Hampshire (see here), require advance notice of noncompetes. The text of the bill is as follows:

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

Sec. 4a. (1) An employer may obtain from an employee an agreement or covenant which protects an employer’s reasonable competitive business interests and expressly prohibits an employee from engaging in employment or a line of business after termination of employment if the agreement or covenant is reasonable as to its duration, geographical area, and the type of employment or line of business. To the extent any such agreement or covenant is found to be unreasonable in any respect, a court may limit the agreement to render it reasonable in light of the circumstances in which it was made and specifically enforce the agreement as limited.
THIS SUBSECTION APPLIES to covenants and agreements entered into after March 29, 1985.
(2) AN EMPLOYER SHALL NOT REQUIRE AND A COURT SHALL NOT ENFORCE AN AGREEMENT OR COVENANT UNDER THIS SECTION AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT IF THE EMPLOYER DID NOT INFORM THE EMPLOYEE OF THE REQUIREMENT AT OR BEFORE THE TIME OF THE INITIAL OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT. THIS SUBSECTION APPLIES TO AN AGREEMENT OR COVENANT ENTERED INTO AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE AMENDATORY ACT THAT ADDED THIS SUBSECTION.
Ken Vanko has an interesting discussion of the bill here.

Minnesota: The Minnesota House of Representatives introduced H. F. No. 506, which contains the following text:

 A bill for an act relating to commerce; regulating employment agreements; voiding certain noncompete agreements; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 325D.

 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

 Section 1. [325D.72] NONCOMPETE AGREEMENTS VOID.

 A contract that prohibits a party to that contract from exercising a lawful profession, trade, or business is void with the following exceptions:

(1) a seller of a business’ goodwill can agree to refrain from carrying on a similar business in a specified county, city, or part of one of them if the buyer carries on a like business in that area;

(2) partners dissolving a partnership can agree that one or more of them will not carry on a similar business in a specified county, city, or part of one of them where the partnership transacted business; and

(3) a member, when dissolving or terminating their interest in a limited liability company, can agree that the member will not carry on a similar business in a specified county, city, or part of one of them where the business has been transacted if another member or someone taking title to the business carries on a like business in that area.

 EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

For additional reading, see Minnesota House Bill Threatens to Void Non-Compete Agreements by Faegre Baker Daniels.

New Jersey: The New Jersey Assembly introduced a bill A3970 much like the bill introduced by Maryland (see above). The text is as follows:

BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

      1.    An unemployed individual found to be eligible to receive benefits pursuant to the “unemployment compensation law,” R.S.43:21-1 et seq., shall not be bound by any covenant, contract, or agreement, entered into with the individual’s most recent employer, not to compete, not to disclose, or not to solicit. This section shall not be construed to apply to any covenant, contract, or agreement in effect on or before the date of enactment of P.L.   , c.  (C.   )(pending before the Legislature as this bill).

      2.    This act shall take effect immediately.

Thank you to both Douglas Neu and Janette Levey Frisch for bringing this to my attention. For some additional reading, see Heated discussion as attorneys debate merits of noncompete bill and New Jersey Joins Wave Of States Considering Limitations on Noncompete Agreements. Thanks to Sue Reisinger for her article, Looking at the Future of Cybersecurity.

Texas: The Texas legislature is considering SB 953, which would effectively adopt the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, making Texas the 48th state to adopt some version, leaving just Massachusetts and New York as the last-remaining holdouts.

Related Items of Interest:

Fairly Competing – A New Podcast

February 19, 2013

Russell Beck Fair Competition News, FCL, Noncompetes, Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets, Unfair Competition Basics , , , , , , Leave a comment

FairComp LogoI am thrilled to announce that I have been given the opportunity to work with two of my favorite (though far more prolific) bloggers, Ken Vanko and John Marsh, to create a brand new podcast: Fairly Competing, a Competition Law Podcast. It is among the first podcasts devoted to trade secrets, restrictive covenants (noncompetes), and related unfair competition laws.

We have recorded two episodes so far, and will be recording our third soon. We hope to record one every two weeks or so. They will generally last about 20-25 minutes, after the first episode (which was about 40 minutes). The will be available to listen to through the three speakers’ blogs, on iTunes, and on Fairly Competing.

The first episode is an examination of a few of the most significant trade secrets/noncompete/unfair competition developments in 2012 (sort of an abbreviated year in review). Listen.

For anyone interested in a more detailed review of the trade secrets developments in 2012, I have provided here my (quite lengthy) materials for the trade secrets portion of this year’s Boston Bar Association’s annual IP Law Year in Review CLE. In addition, both Ken Vanko (here) and John Marsh (starting here) have excellent posts covering similar issues.

The second episode covers the recent prosecution of internet activist and Reddit founder, Aaron Swartz, under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). We discuss the forces that shaped this tragic case, consider whether changes to the CFAA are needed, and debate whether Silicon Valley Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s proposed amendment to the CFAA goes far enough. Listen.

The third episode will cover recent and proposed noncompete legislation around the country.

To subscribe to our podcast on iTune, click here.

We hope you will listen and enjoy them as much as we do!

New Massachusetts Noncompete Bill

January 28, 2013

Russell Beck Fair Competition News, Massachusetts Noncompete Bill, Noncompetes, Restrictive Covenants , , , , , 1 Comment

cropped-cimg27721.jpgThere is a new noncompete bill in Massachusetts. (Jump to the end for the details.) It is not yet docketed, however, so I do not have an official version to post at this time.

Those following the Massachusetts legislature’s efforts to improve Massachusetts noncompete law will recall that in 2008, then-Representative, now Senator, Will Brownsberger and Representative Lori Erhlich each separately introduced their own noncompete bills. Brownsberger’s bill took the approach in California, Oklahoma, and North Dakota, banning noncompetes in the employee context. Ehrlich’s bill took a moderated approach, focusing on procedural and other limits.

In the spring of 2009, Rep. Brownsberger and Rep. Ehrlich decided to work together toward modifications acceptable to both. After extensive input from many different interests, they arrived at a “compromise bill” designed to codify, clarify, and modernize Massachusetts noncompete law. The compromise bill was revised over time and developed quite a bit of steam during the 2008–2009 legislative session, but ultimately died. Then, a revised version of the bill was introduced in 2010, though it too ultimately died.

This session, Senator Brownsberger and Representative Erhlich have tried an entirely new, streamlined approach. (As readers of this blog will know, I was involved with the bills from the very beginning, including this new bill, and have been the principal draftsperson; I view my role, however, as purely advisory and that of scrivener. I give my opinions on the pros and cons of the various possible approaches and language, but take no position on the policy.)

The new bill – called the “Noncompete Agreement Duration Act” – leaves most noncompete law in tact, and, as its name suggests, focuses on the duration of noncompetes (in the employer/employee context). As before, the bill does not affect the law of trade secrets, nondisclosure agreements, nonsolicitation agreements, no raid/no hire agreements, noncompetes in connection with the sale of business (if the restricted person owns at least a 10 percent interest and received substantial consideration) or outside the employment context, forfeiture agreements, or agreements not to reapply for a job.

The bill starts with, and is premised on, the following two findings:

  • “[T]he Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a significant interest in its economic competitiveness and the protection of its employers, and a strong public policy favoring the mobility of its workforce” and
  • “[T]he Commonwealth of Massachusetts has determined that an employee noncompetition agreement restricting an employee’s mobility for longer than six months is a restraint on trade and harms the economy.”

The bill then creates a presumption that a noncompete that lasts up to six months is presumed reasonable in duration. The bill also creates the opposite presumption: a noncompete that lasts more than six months is presumed unreasonable in duration. The presumptions are not absolute; they can be overcome. If a court determines that the duration is unreasonable, however, the noncompete will be unenforceable in its entirety.

There are three instances in which a noncompete that is unreasonable in duration can still be enforced (though the court will shorten the duration to the length of time determined to be appropriate). Those three instances are as follows:

  1. “the employee has breached his or her fiduciary duty to the employer”; 
  2. “the employee unlawfully taken, physically or electronically, property belonging to the employer”; or
  3. “the employee has, at any time, received annualized taxable compensation from the employer of $250,000 or more.”
I expect that the bill – as well as another bill taking the California approach – will continue to be the subject of much discussion. If you have input, we would be extremely interested in hearing from you.

Theft of Trade Secrets Clarification Act of 2012 is Law

January 7, 2013

Russell Beck Fair Competition News, Trade Secrets , Leave a comment

I am a little late to the party here, but following my post, Economic Espionage Act Bill Passes Senate, But Can Be Improved, about the Senate’s passage of the Theft of Trade Secrets Clarification Act of 2012, President Obama, on December 28, signed the Act into law.

So, the good news is that the hole in the Economic Espionage Act of 1996, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1831-39, that allowed the defendant in  U.S. v. Aleynikov to escape prosecution under the EEA has now been closed.

Next step: PATSIA – the Protecting American Trade Secrets and Innovation Act. (See here for an early discussion of PATSIA.) Maybe this year we’ll see that bill move forward in a form that allows for a meaningful federal private right of action for the protection of trade secrets.

CFAA: The Wait for the Supreme Court Continues

January 6, 2013

Russell Beck Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Fair Competition News , Leave a comment

Many of us have been hopeful that with the deep split in the circuits (the 4th and 9th with their narrow interpretation versus the 1st, 5th, 7th, 11th, with their broad interpretation) on the reach of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Supreme Court would accept the certiorari petition from the Fourth Ciruit’s decision in WEC Carolina Energy Solutions LLC v. Miller.

Sadly, the Supreme Court did not. On January 2, 2013, the Supreme Court dismissed the cert petition: WEC Carolina Energy Solutions LLC. v. Miller, 2013 WL 28079 (2013). As Robert Milligan notes, the reason for the Court’s dismissal was based on the parties’ stipulation withdrawing their petition.

Very disappointing!

Well, hopefully one of the Circuits that has not weighed in yet will do so soon, and we’ll all get a second chance for a successful cert petition to the Supreme Court.

Trade Secret and Noncompete Survey – National Case Graph 2013 [Preliminary Data]

January 6, 2013

Russell Beck Fair Competition News, Noncompetes, Trade Secrets , , , 2 Comments

Noncompete and Trade Secret Cases Survey Graph 20130106A few years ago, I became curious to see how many reported trade secret / noncompete decisions were issued each year in all federal and state courts around the country. So, I did a “back of the envelope” calculation. I have performed similar calculations several times since.

Over the years, I have varied the graph, typically showing two things: (1) either just reported noncompete decisions or just reported trade secret decisions and (2)  how whichever category I had picked (noncompete decisions or trade secret decisions) compared with all reported decisions involving either or both trade secrets and noncompetes. This year, I decided to do all three.

So, the blue bars reflect all reported noncompete decisions, the red bars are all reported trade secrets decisions, and the yellow are all decisions involving noncompetes, trade secrets, or both.

I should note that each time I’ve run the queries, the results have varied slightly (inching up), which I attribute to Westlaw’s addition of cases over time. Consistent with that, the older the data, the less it moves. Indeed, the oldest data didn’t change at all.

The other thing worth noting is that every time I’ve run this inquiry at the beginning of the year (as is the case this time), the most recent year has been way underreported. I suspect that it has something to do with how Westlaw updates its database. I will very likely run my search again later in the year, and, if history is any predictor, the 2012 numbers will be significantly higher – almost certainly exceeding 2011 in every category (not just noncompetes). We will see!

Perhaps most telling is that the trade secrets cases have grown every year (with the obvious caveat about the preliminary 2012 number).

If you’d like to take a closer look at the numbers, you can click the image above.

Amazon.com v. Powers’s Lessons for Us All

January 5, 2013

Russell Beck Fair Competition News, Noncompetes, Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets , , , , , , , Leave a comment

GoogleScreen Shot 2013-01-05 at 10.19.17 AMI have at least had a chance to read the December 27, 2012 decision of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in Amazon.com v. Powers, granting in part and denying in part Amazon’s request for a preliminary injunction against one of its former executives, Daniel Powers.

The case involves a high level former Amazon employee, Mr. Powers, subject to the typical restrictive covenants (nondisclosure, no-raid, nonsolicitation, noncompete, and invention assignment). Mr. Powers was responsible for sales of Amazon cloud computing services. Mr. Powers was terminated from Amazon and, importantly, took nothing. (This is always best practice for a departing employee.) Nor did he have plans to work elsewhere at the time that he was terminated.

Three months later, Mr. Powers joined Google. Google and Mr. Powers agreed that Mr. Powers would not: refer to cloud computing in his title until the end of 2012 (i.e., about 6 months after his termination); be involved with cloud computing for 6 months (i.e., for 9 months after his termination); use or disclose Amazon’s confidential information; work with Amazon’s customers for 6 months (i.e., for 9 months after his termination); and be involved with the hiring of Amazon’s employees for 12 months from his termination.

Google’s and Powers’ voluntary restrictions were insufficient for Amazon. Amazon sued in Washington state court. Mr. Powers removed the case to the Western District.

The case is interesting for many reasons, including those identified by Ken Vanko in his post on Legal Developments in Non-Competition Agreements. Here are five of the reasons:

First, the Court, somewhat surprisingly, denied Amazon’s request for a preliminary injunction to protect its confidential information.

The Court’s decision in this regard was based on the following factors: (1) Amazon was unable to definitively identify what specific knowledge is “still” in Mr. Power’s memory without discovery, which Amazon declined to do before the preliminary injunction hearing, and (2) Mr. Powers and his new employer (Google) agreed to “virtually every restriction Amazon seeks in its injunction . . . .” The defendants’ voluntary commitment to protect the information was seen by the Court as establishing that Amazon was unlikely to prove that Mr. Powers would use confidential information (even if Amazon had been able to prove that Mr. Powers still remembered confidential information). Factual scenarios like this are quite common and frequently come out the other way, with the Court granting an injunction protecting confidential information.

Second, the Court’s analysis of the lack of proof of trade secrets provides a cautionary tale. Specifically, with regard to the issue of the existence of protectable trade secrets, the Court stated as follows:

Amazon did not ask to file any evidence under seal, suggesting that it believes the court will divine what information is a trade secret from [a] public declaration [of one of its employees]. Having scoured that declaration, the court is unable to do so. The court acknowledges that it is likely that Mr. Powers learned information that would qualify as a trade secret while he was at Amazon. See RCW § 19.108.010(4) (defining trade secret as a information that derives “independent economic value” from being neither known nor readily ascertainable and that is subject to reasonable efforts to maintain its secrecy). But if there is trade secret information that Mr. Powers could still be expected to know, Amazon has not identified it.

The takeaway from that paragraph is to take heed of the seemingly increasing trend of courts (not just in the 9th Circuit) to require early particularization of trade secrets (and, of course, a corresponding willingness to accept the alleged secrets under seal).

Third, the Court deftly avoided deciding whether Washington has or has not recognized the inevitable disclosure doctrine – an area of the law receiving significant attention in many recent decisions. Despite the Court’s avoidance of the issue, it nevertheless made the following cautionary observation (for others to take note of in the future):

Were inevitable disclosure as easy to establish as Amazon suggests in its motion, then a nondisclosure agreement would become a noncompetition agreement of infinite duration. . . . Washington law does not permit that result.

Fourth, the Court’s analysis of the nonsolicitation (of customers) restriction was quite thorough and informative. Specifically, the Court first observed that Washington courts are more apt to enforce a nonsolicitation agreement than a noncompete agreement, because the nature of the restriction on the employee is less severe. However, in shorting to nine months the 18-month stated duration of the restriction, the Court’s analysis was as follows:

This is not a case where Mr. Powers seeks to leap from Amazon immediately to Google with his former customers in tow. He stopped working with Amazon customers more than six months ago. There is no evidence he has had contact with any of them since then. There is no direct evidence that he intends to pursue business with any of them. The only indirect evidence that he has interest in contacting his former customers is that he has chosen to fight Amazon’s efforts to enforce the Agreement. Although the personal aspects of his relationships with his former customers might be expected to endure for more than six months, they might just as well extend even beyond the 18-months that the Agreement provides. Amazon has not explained why it selected an 18-month period, nor has it disputed Mr. Powers’ suggestion that the Agreement he signed is a “form” agreement that Amazon requires virtually every employee to sign. Because Amazon makes no effort to tailor the duration of its competitive restrictions to individual employees, the court is not inclined to defer to its one-size-fits-all contractual choices. Amazon has not convinced the court that the aspects of Mr. Powers’ relationships with customers that depend on confidential Amazon information are still viable today.

The influence that each of those facts (the six month period before Mr. Powers joined Google; his lack of communication; the “evidence” of his interest in contacting the clients; the potential longevity of the client relationships; the “form” nature of the agreement; and the absence of confidential information) had on the Court’s decision should be instructive to those of us facing these issues in Washington (and elsewhere). Each raises all sorts of questions.

Focusing, for example, on the longevity of the relationship as compared with the duration of the restriction. That issue exists not just with customer relationships, but with confidential information and trade secrets protectable through noncompetes. In fact, one of the criticisms of noncompetes is that they are not coterminous with the life of the trade secrets. Good luck to Coca-Cola enforcing a noncompete until the secret formula to Coke is revealed. It won’t happen. Nor, I suspect, would a court refuse to enforce Coca-Cola’s secret formula based noncompete simply because the secret formula would outlive the restriction.

Well, then, why should a nonsolicitation agreement be circumscribed because the goodwill may extend longer than the restriction? While it’s easy to understand modifying (i.e., shortening) the duration when the restriction would outlive its utility, it’s hard to understand shortening it because the restriction isn’t long enough. Does this suggest that the Court would be receptive to a defense in the context of a noncompete on the ground that the trade secrets protected by the noncompete will outlast the restriction, so the restriction is unnecessary? Unclear.

And, fifth, similar to Ken’s point, the Court’s analysis of the noncompete is instructive. The Court reasoned as follows:

Its ban on working with former customers serves to protect the goodwill it has built up with specific businesses. A general ban on Mr. Powers’ competing against Amazon for other cloud computing customers is not a ban on unfair competition, it is a ban on competition generally. Amazon cannot eliminate skilled employees from future competition by the simple expedient of hiring them. To rule otherwise would give Amazon far greater power than necessary to protect its legitimate business interest. No Washington court has enforced a restriction that would effectively eliminate a former employee from a particular business sector. This court will not be the first, particularly where Amazon has not provided enough detail about the nature of AWS’s cloud computing business to convince it that an employee like Mr. Powers can only compete with AWS by competing unfairly.

The two aspects of the decision that seem atypical are that: (1) the Court used the nonsolicitation covenant to undermine the noncompete; and (2) the Court refused – under the particular facts presented – to bar Mr. Powers from a particular business sector. While both can be seen as a mere failing of the sufficiency of Amazon’s evidence, they seem to be more; they seem to suggest an overall reluctance by the Court to enforce noncompete agreements – especially where Washington is a reformation state (meaning that the courts can essentially rewrite a restriction to make it reasonable).

Stay tuned to see how the law develops in Washington (and elsewhere). It should be interesting!

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