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- BarillaAmerica Inc. v. Wright (1)
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- Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. v. Lockhart (1)
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Articles 1 - 17 of 17
Full-Text Articles in Law
Rats, Traps, And Trade Secrets, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Rats, Traps, And Trade Secrets, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
Technology has facilitated both the amount of trade secrets that are now stored electronically, and the rise of cyber intrusions. Together, this has created a storm perfectly ripe for economic espionage. Cases involving unknown or anonymous offenders who may not be in the United States and who steal trade secrets using remote access tools (“RATs”) are especially problematic. This Article is the first to address and place trade secret misappropriation within the larger backdrop of cybersecurity. First, it argues that systemic issues related to technology will continue to make legislative and judicial solutions suboptimal for cyber misappropriation. Second, it explores …
Trade Secrets, Trade, And Extraterritoriality, Elizabeth A. Rowe, Daniel M. Mahfood
Trade Secrets, Trade, And Extraterritoriality, Elizabeth A. Rowe, Daniel M. Mahfood
Elizabeth A Rowe
When a foreign individual or company misappropriates the trade secrets of an American company, and the acts of misappropriation occur entirely outside of the United States, the trade secret law of the United States generally will not apply. This represents the principle of extraterritoriality, and identifies a major vulnerability for companies that choose to conduct operations or engage in other business abroad. In such situations, the substantive and procedural laws of another country are likely to define whether the allegedly misappropriated information is protected and has been misappropriated. Providing a domestic forum to prosecute extraterritorial infringement would substantially benefit domestic …
When Trade Secrets Become Shackles: Fairness And The Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine, Elizabeth Rowe
When Trade Secrets Become Shackles: Fairness And The Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine, Elizabeth Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
Critics of the inevitable disclosure doctrine decry the inconsistency with which courts rule on these cases, and the difficulty in predicting case outcomes. They contend that courts are left to "grapple with a decidedly ... nebulous standard of 'inevitability."' Further, they claim the doctrine undermines the employee's fundamental right to move freely and pursue his or her livelihood. Ultimately, both the problem and solution here are about fairness: fairness in the employer-employee relationship, fairness in the application of the law, and fairness in providing protection from unfair competition between competing employers. The crux of the opposition to the doctrine, in …
Introducing A Takedown For Trade Secrets On The Internet, Elizabeth Rowe
Introducing A Takedown For Trade Secrets On The Internet, Elizabeth Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
This Article explores, for the first time, an existing void in trade-secret law. When a trade-secret owner discovers that its trade secrets have been posted on the Internet, there is currently no legislative mechanism by which the owner can request that the information be taken down. The only remedy to effectuate removal of the material is to obtain a court order, usually either a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction. When a trade secret appears on the Internet, the owner often loses the ability to continue to claim it as a trade secret and to prevent others from using …
Technology And Intellectual Property: New Rules For An Old Game?, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Technology And Intellectual Property: New Rules For An Old Game?, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
This foreword to the first issue of 2009 for the Journal of Technology Law and Policy discusses the questions presented by the merger of technology and intellectual property and considers how best the two areas should co-exist.
The Experimental Use Exception To Patent Infringement: Do Universities Deserve Special Treatment?, Elizabeth A. Rowe
The Experimental Use Exception To Patent Infringement: Do Universities Deserve Special Treatment?, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
The experimental use exception is a common law exception to the patent-holder's exclusive right of use. It permits the use of another's patented device when such use is for philosophical inquiry, curiosity, or amusement. It has recently come under attack by many who consider it too narrow. They fear that the courts' "narrowing" of the experimental use exception will stifle research and innovation. Much of the discontent with the doctrine has been spurred by a relatively recent Federal Circuit opinion, Madey v. Duke University, which makes clear that a research university does not receive immunity under the experimental use exception …
Patents, Genetically Modified Foods, And Ip Overreaching, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Patents, Genetically Modified Foods, And Ip Overreaching, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
Genetically engineered plants and animals have become and will continue to constitute a large part of the food we consume. The United States is the world's largest producer of genetically modified foods, making American consumers the most exposed population to these products. Agricultural biotechnology patents spur and support innovation. Accordingly, patent law is one of the main contributors to this phenomenon that has changed not only the kinds of food we eat, but the nature of the agri-business industry that produces these foods. This Article takes on an area of concern involving the patenting of food that has remained unexplored: …
Trade Secret Litigation And Free Speech: Is It Time To Restrain The Plaintiffs?, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Trade Secret Litigation And Free Speech: Is It Time To Restrain The Plaintiffs?, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
Trade secret misappropriation litigation is often criticized for its negative effects on competition and speech. In particular, some accuse plaintiff trade secret owners of filing complaints for the purpose of running competitors out of business, or restraining individuals from discussing matters which are unfavorable. This Article enters the discussion to critically assess whether there is reason to consider restricting these actions. It concludes that trade secret litigation on the whole does not inappropriately impinge on speech rights. Even if certain cases come closer to offending defendants' free speech rights, these occasions and the concerns they raise are not unique to …
Saving Trade Secret Disclosures On The Internet Through Sequential Preservation, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Saving Trade Secret Disclosures On The Internet Through Sequential Preservation, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
When an employee discloses an employer's trade secrets to the public over the Internet, does our current trade secret framework appropriately address the consequences of that disclosure? What ought to be the rule that governs whether the trade secret owner has lost not only the protection status for the secret, but also any remedies against use by third parties? Should the ease with which the Internet permits instant and mass disclosure of secrets be taken into consideration in assessing the fairness of a rule that calls for immediate loss of the trade secret upon disclosure? Given that trade secret law …
Striking A Balance: When Should Trade-Secret Law Shield Disclosures To The Government?, Elizabeth Rowe
Striking A Balance: When Should Trade-Secret Law Shield Disclosures To The Government?, Elizabeth Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
In 2010, Toyota issued recalls on over eight million vehicles because of faulty acceleration. Assume that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requests that Toyota allow the government access to the data in black boxes on the recalled cars. The black boxes are operated by proprietary software and can only be accessed with special codes by Toyota. Assume further that Toyota refuses to provide the Black Box data to the government, claiming that it would reveal its trade secrets. How should courts approach what I coin these refusal-to-submit cases? There is a void in the literature and the case …
Intellectual Property And Employee Selection, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Intellectual Property And Employee Selection, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
In today’s marketplace, companies from Disney to Hooters are increasingly integrating their image into the service that they provide. This has come to be known as “branded service.” The human wearing the trade dress merges with the brand image. When a company chooses this strategy to differentiate itself from its competitors in the marketplace, it will often incorporate some intellectual property, and the result then necessarily influences hiring decisions. If a business decides not to hire a prospective employee because she does not fit the company’s image, and that decision is challenged under the antidiscrimination laws, to what extent should …
Striking A Balance: When Should Trade Secret Law Shield Disclosures To The Government?, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Striking A Balance: When Should Trade Secret Law Shield Disclosures To The Government?, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
Earlier this year, Toyota issued recalls on over eight million vehicles because of faulty acceleration. Assume that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requests that Toyota allow the government access to the data in black boxes on the recalled cars. The black boxes are operated by proprietary software and can only be accessed with special codes by Toyota. Assume further that Toyota refuses to provide the Black Box data to the government, claiming that it would reveal its trade secrets. How should courts approach what I coin these refusal-to-submit cases? There is a void in the literature and the …
Contributory Negligence, Technology, And Trade Secrets, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Contributory Negligence, Technology, And Trade Secrets, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
In tort law, the doctrine of contributory negligence captures conduct by the plaintiff which falls below the standard to which he should conform for his own protection. Whether one has been contributorily negligent is determined by an objective standard of reasonableness under the circumstances. This Article, for the first time, applies these contributory negligence principles to trade secret law. It draws upon this doctrine to frame and analyze a problem posed by modern technology. The very technological tools in use today that increase the efficiency with which companies do business create challenges for trade secret protection. They make trade secrets …
A Sociological Approach To Misappropriation, Elizabeth A. Rowe
A Sociological Approach To Misappropriation, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
This paper is grounded on the premise that sociological analysis can be of great benefit to trade secret law. More specifically, a sociological approach can improve our understanding of the social factors involved in the complex interplay between legal doctrine and compliance. As the first article to apply sociological analysis to trade secret law, this paper uses a group which constitutes the largest segment of the workforce, namely, Generation X and Generation Y (collectively referred to and coined in the Article as “New Generation Employees”) as a case study for analyzing how values and social norms influence compliance with trade …
Who Are These People? New Generation Employees And Trade Secrets, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Who Are These People? New Generation Employees And Trade Secrets, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
Traditional approaches to examining the efficacy of trade secret protection in the workplace are often focused on technological and process based measures. Indeed, much attention has focused on the use of technology, by itself, to stem trade secret misappropriation. This Article offers a novel approach to the problem by incorporating contextual factors that might be important to trade secret protection and focuses on the people. It also, for the first time, applies sociological theories about employee theft to trade secret misappropriation. Working from the outside in, the Article examines first the reported societal effects on the values of those workers …
Rethinking "Reasonable Efforts" To Protect Trade Secrets In A Digital World, Elizabeth Rowe
Rethinking "Reasonable Efforts" To Protect Trade Secrets In A Digital World, Elizabeth Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
The very technological tools in use today that increase the efficiency with which companies do business create challenges for trade secret protection. They make trade secrets easier to store, easier to access, easier to disseminate, and more portable, thus increasing the risks that trade secrets will be destroyed. While secrecy is the sine qua non of trade secret protection, it can be difficult to accomplish. There is a tension between the need to keep information secret and modern technological methods that allow the information to be easily accessed, reproduced, and disseminated. In trade secret misappropriation cases, courts evaluate the sufficiency …
Introducing A Take-Down For Trade Secrets On The Internet, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Introducing A Take-Down For Trade Secrets On The Internet, Elizabeth A. Rowe
Elizabeth A Rowe
When a trade secret owner discovers its trade secrets have been posted on the Internet, there is currently no legislative mechanism by which the owner can request that the information be taken down. The only remedy to effectuate removal of the material is to obtain a court order, usually through a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction. In an earlier article I explored and analyzed the tremendous danger to trade secrets that have been posted on the Internet. Indeed, the trade secret status is most often lost forever. Accordingly, upon discovering a posting of secret information, trade secret owners …