Earlier this month, Apple filed suit in federal court in San Jose against its former employee, Simon Lancaster, for trade secret theft. The lawsuit alleges that Lancaster worked for Apple until November 1, 2019, as an Advanced Materials Lead and Product Design Architect, which is described as a “senior role” with the company. In this role, Apple claims Lancaster was tasked with “evaluating materials and prototyping innovations to enable future generations of products.”
Although the lawsuit does not go into specifics regarding the alleged trade secret information at issue, Apple generally argues that Lancaster divulged certain secret information to an unnamed journalist and media correspondent, who allegedly provided Lancaster with certain benefits in exchange for the information. Aside from this alleged disclosure, Apple also claimed that Lancaster may be continuing to use its information on behalf of his new employer, an unnamed Apple vendor.
On January 11, 2021, the mayor of the District of Columbia signed an Act prohibiting non-competition provisions in employment agreements entered into after the date of passage. While under the peculiar rules of the District of Columbia, Congress has a 30-day window to disapprove the Act, it appears likely that this Act will pass. The effect of passage is significant, in that this widely-used tool to protect ongoing businesses will be taken away.
We hope you and your employees had a festive holiday season and happy New Year! It is always helpful to review your company policies and procedures on an annual basis, and policies and procedures on protection of trade secrets and confidential information are no different. Below are some tips to remember and questions to consider as you conduct your review this year.
Trade Secret Insider co-founders 
In April, our editor, Joe Lavigne, explained 
With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing throughout the United States, lawyers have had to come up with creative solutions to complete discovery, particularly when it comes to taking depositions. Over the past few months and for the foreseeable future, most depositions are taking place, at least in part, using videoconferencing technology. As these depositions have become more widespread, some attorneys have asked courts to require in-person depositions.
In early June of 2020, 