The explosion of the importance of trade secrets is at this point old news. The new news, however, is the rise of use of noncompetes and other restrictive covenants (for example, nondisclosure agreements, nonsoliciation agreements, and anti-piracy agreements) to protect trade secrets (and other legitimate business interests). While we see this locally and nationally, it is also growing internationally.
So, what does this mean for you? It means you must be vigilent about determining what restrictions future employees are bound by, whether they can even be hired, and, if they can be hired, on what terms you can hire them. Failing to do so will only mean more cost, time, and difficulties after.