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Article: Using noncompete agreements to protect legitimate business interests; carefully drafted agreements will prevent former employees from using and disclosing proprietary and confidential information.
- Article from:
- Defense Counsel Journal
- Article date:
- April 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 International Association of Defense Counsels. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE definition of "trade secrets" is broad, and both statutory and common law protect them from misappropriation. While this may appear to be sufficient protection, all organizations and companies have confidential and proprietary information that inevitably will fall outside any definition. Customer and client relationships, for example, generally do not qualify as trade secrets. In today's business environment, all information that provides a competitive advantage, which includes not only trade secrets but also much of other confidential information, has become increasingly important.
For these reasons, companies often use noncompete agreements, which also are ...